Diamonds are such amazing jewels. They are clear. They have so many different angles and cuts in them. But what’s even more amazing is how these precious stones are formed! High pressure and intense heat combine to transform a pile of carbon-containing minerals into a priceless treasure. Some say it’s the equivalent to coal or ashes that are turned into diamonds.
Now think about it this way…I love to grill, primarily with charcoal. I know what that coal looks like and I know what ashes are, and to be totally honest neither of these look very much like diamonds. They are dirty. They leave dust and soot everywhere. But with the right heat and the right pressure, given the appropriate length of time, these dusty particles can become something of great worth.
Ever look in a mirror, or just evaluate your life, and wonder what anyone could love about you? Ever ask what good you could add to anything? Ever feel worthless, kind of like a pile of ashes or a lump of coal? Seems like all you do is dirty up a situation.
Listen to these words for a minute. Here and now I’m in the fire, In above my head…being held under the pressure, don’t know what’ll be left, but it’s here in the ashes…He’s making diamonds…making diamonds out of dust.
How great is it that God takes those moments when we just can’t go on, and he uses them to form us? In what areas of your life do you feel more like dust than diamonds? How can you trust more that he’s working in you so that you can see the diamond instead of the dust?
It’s tempting to misread this thought. He’s not taking you from dust to diamonds so you’ll be valuable to him. He’s taking you from dust to diamond so you’ll see the precious thing he created when he made you! You are valuable to him as dust. You’re precious to your creator when you’re in the midst of the pressure and fire of life. And when you finally see yourself as the diamond he created you to be…yep, still highly treasured.
The long and short is that sometimes we need the pressure and heat to form us. Don’t give up too quickly on the trials of life. We want them to go away but he intends them for our good. Stay the course. Trust that he’s living with the same pressure that you are enduring. Be confident that the one who is making you into a diamond is the same one who gathered you from the dust. You are precious! You are valued! He wants you to see yourself as a diamond.
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