You are a diamond
Do you know how diamonds are made? They are the product of compressed carbon, which over time creates the beautiful stone we call a diamond, but not all diamonds are natural.
Lab created diamonds are made the same way, compression of carbon, but in a way that is much faster, that's why LGB diamonds are less expensive than natural ones. I was reading that the the amount of natural diamonds recovered peaked in 2005, but have decreased ever since. The number recovered now can fit in an exercise ball. While that's a pretty big ball, in the grand scheme of things, that's relatively few diamonds. So this got me thinking.
I was talking to a dear friend this morning who is recovering from COVID. She is at home and her husband is in a hospital receiving treatment quite a number of miles away. I called her to check on her to make sure she was doing okay, and we talked for quite a while. During our conversation we talked about their trials this year, and at least once I thought about the things my family has and is going through. We all had COVID as well this year, my daughter's was more severe than my husband's and mine, and it was a very difficult situation. But, through it all, even though panic would set in more often than I would have liked, I knew she was in His capable hands, regardless of the outcome. While I was talking to my friend, I had the same impression...they are in His capable hands.
I related to her the journey my family is currently on...getting set to move into a new home. After 20 years here, it's time for a change because the area around us is changing, rapidly, in a direction that we don't feel safe in. When we first started this journey, I told a friend of mine who is a realtor, and my husband that if God is good with this, I prayed that He would open every door, if not, I asked that He would shut those puppies tight with no way to get them opened. I also told them that this whole process I would bathe in prayer, because I wanted to know that I know that this was in His will. Well, He has honored those prayers. But.
We are down to the appraisal and underwriting. What was supposed to be finished by last Friday was only begun, so now it's hurry up and wait. Let me be transparent here...I'm not a patient person. At. All. This wait is driving me bananas. And we are on a time limit here in this current house. Panic has set in. Stress is at an all time high. And yet...
Today, as I mentioned before, I was talking to my dear friend. When I hung up with her, I thought about how diamonds are formed. Naturally or lab formed, carbon is compressed to such a point that a diamond is created. While the lab formed ones are relatively clear, the natural ones, which have been formed over hundreds, even thousands of years or more, they have the distinction of having a fingerprint of their formation. Every occurrence that made them what they are happened because of what was happening around them. Are you still following me? I promise, I'm trying to get to my point.
We are that carbon, and we are being developed into the Diamond that God intends us to be. Our circumstances may be different, but the "compression" or tests and trials that we go through create the unique person that you are. Every trial imprints on us, creating the time capsule, if you will, of your formation. Every test proves the soundness of your faith. Every doubt, every tear, every heartbreak, another impression that creates the diamond.
Does every piece of carbon create a diamond? No, sometimes the carbon can't hold up enough and will break apart, rendering it just a lump of coal, so to speak. But the testing of the compression, the fires of trials will make a beautiful gem worth a great deal.
As we walk our faith, we will experience trials that we think we just can't get through. With our world the way it is with this virus, we worry that our worlds will be turned upside-down to such a point that we despair even of this life, but have heart! If we walk in faith, even when we don't understand, then God will continue the development of the unique diamond that is you. If we persevere, we will see His hand, if we give it all to His control we will see Him moving in ways that seem impossible. I promise you, this last part is really hard, even for a Christian who is rock solid in their faith, because the devil will throw something at you that blindsides you, and you have the choice...allow it to knock you off your path of honoring Christ in your life, or to roll with the punches and continue to put your trust and faith in the One who knows and loves you more than you could ever imagine.
Today, as you go through your day, whether it runs smooth as silk or has more potholes than a rural road, I challenge you to lay everything at His feet. Give back to God the day He has given you, and trust that He is working everything to your good, even if it seems that Murphy's Law has taken over your life. Stay the course. Be faithful, without doubt. Trust Him. When you do that, as you go through all that life and the devil throws at you, you can be assured that this "compression" is forming you into a diamond of extreme brilliance. You are unique. You are beautiful. You are God's!
Comments
Post a Comment