Diamonds in the Rough

It seems that of all the beautiful and admirable objects in the world, diamonds are at the top of the list. It is amazing how such a small stone can be valued so highly. Many admire the beauty of diamonds in their jewelry, but no one knows the story behind them. Each one, as it shines forth in its luster, has a history of being hidden, shaped, and cut into what is now a beautiful and rare diamond.  Its appearance wasn’t always such.

 

It is interesting how a diamond becomes a diamond. They begin as one of the more common elements, carbon. This element’s simplicity and commonality makes it even more amazing that it can be formed into one of the world’s most valued and sought after gems.  A diamond does not start out as a diamond.  As a matter of fact, when we see a diamond in the jewelry store on display, we can be assured that when it was found, it was 1-3 billion years old. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? It is this unseen process of billions of years that makes a diamond unique and highly valued.

100 miles hidden below the earth’s surface diamonds are being formed. With the perfect amount of pressure, time, and heat, carbon is formed into a diamond. The heat must reach 752 degrees Fahrenheit and 435,113 pounds of pressure must be applied to it per square inch in order for the diamond to be formed. There are man-made machines that can create this kind of heat and pressure to form a diamond. These are much more flawed then the true diamonds formed by nature. These flawed diamonds are used for industrial purposes and can’t be sold for jewelry because of their many flaws. There is no diamond like the ones that are created through time, pressure, and heat in nature. Take away one of these and you have a flawed diamond, and probably no diamond at all.

 As true with diamonds, so it is true with us that time, pressure, and heat create something beautiful in the end. Many want to try the “man-made” diamond and become beautiful without the time that is needed. It just will not happen. In God’s wisdom and perfect ways, He takes time to create something in us that is unflawed. It is worth it to him to take the long route and get the real deal then to get in a hurry and have a flawed diamond. For this to occur, it takes our cooperation. It takes patience, perseverance, and endurance through lots of hard knocks, pressure, and having to wait on God’s timing instead of ours. Many give up along the way because things aren’t happening the way they want or in their timing. All along, God is shaping and changing us. Each diamond has its own story and so do we. Although the same ingredients of heat, pressure, and time all create the same incredible gem, each diamond and person is unique in story.

 During the years and decades of shaping us in hidden places, He is creating something beautiful out of something very simple and common. Although some think differently, everyone is ordinary. Everyone is common. There is no one that stands above anyone else. Some have money. Some may be beautiful. Some may be in a high position of authority. Whatever their life looks like, all people are considered ordinary and common whether they realize it or not. God delights in taking the simple, ordinary people and making them into extraordinary individuals. Everything God touches is beautified, enhanced, and perfected.

 Diamonds weren’t always diamonds, and you and I will one day be quite different than what we are today. We can also say that we are not what we used to be. It’s a gradual change and transformation just like the simple element of carbon turning into a diamond.  Just like humans can’t create the perfect diamond, only God can create the perfect situations, storms, and blessings that will transform you through the years.

 Often times, all we can see is the heat, pressure, and time. We don’t like it. We don’t understand it. For those who persevere and allow God to make them into what He desires, they will become someone that displays a different nature than when they began the journey. As stated at the end of SS, she was found leaning on her beloved. No longer did she trust in herself, but through all life’s journeys, she became mature in Him.

 Of all the unique characteristics a diamond has, one of the most admirable is that it is transparent. It is the truly rare transparent diamonds that are rated flawless, meaning they don’t have the slightest imperfection. As we allow God to change us through heat, time, and pressure, we become flawless in the sense that we begin to walk in His nature and character. We carry traits that are similar to His, such as humility.  We are transparent about our weaknesses and do not show forth more than what we are.  We honor others above ourselves and don’t complain about being last or sitting on the back seat while others seem to be seen and chosen over us. We take the last seat gladly and we don’t grumble or complain.

 As time goes by, we learn to love the seasons of hiddenness because of what it produces in us. If it wasn’t for a diamond being hidden 100 miles below the earth’s surface for billions of years, it would not become what it is. God uses hiddenness to teach us about living before His eyes only. When people overlook us, speak wrongly about us, treat us with injustice, etc., it can be an opportunity for us to realign our motives to where we are living before His eyes only. If no one sees us correctly through God’s eyes, it is ok. We are confident because of the hidden time spent with God and what that created in us. Having seasons where God hides us reveals pride in our hearts of wanting to become something before people instead of living to please Him alone. Throughout our lives He will bring great success only to bring us back into hiding as a way of protecting us from the potential pride in every one of our hearts.  If no one sees our success or acknowledges us, will we be ok with that? If we allow God to train us through seasons of hiddenness, we will be ok with that because our success is not measured by the standards of other’s opinions, but only by what He thinks of us. We no longer strive for other people’s assurance and acceptance, but are rooted and grounded in the love of God.

 If you are feeling the heat of life, be encouraged. If you are in a season of waiting, be encouraged. If you seem hidden and unseen by others, be encouraged. It is God who creates every part of our life to bring transformation. His agenda and motive is to mold and shape you into something beautiful. As the years and decades unfold, you will begin to carry His nature and character, which is far more valuable than any gold or diamonds. You are a diamond in the rough.

 Isaiah 45:3

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God who summons you by name.

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.