Diamond In The Rough

Lisa Parrish

Have you ever stopped to consider what it takes to make a diamond? Or what it looks like before a jeweler does his work to make it a beautiful gemstone?

A diamond in the rough, before it has been chipped and chiseled into what we know as a gemstone, isn’t very pretty. It is covered in ugly volcanic rock and dirt. How did that beautiful gem get locked inside the rock? First, carbon atoms formed bonds together to make a crystal grow. It took high heat and high pressure to bond the crystals. Then the rough diamonds were blown to the surface in a violent volcanic eruption that cooled them quickly, fusing them into shape. The gems inside the volcanic rock don’t look like gems. They look like another rock.

It takes the touch of a master to turn this ugly rock into something precious. The master jeweler uses a chisel to chip away all of the outer rock, revealing the diamond inside. Then he uses a special blade to cut the diamond apart in a particular way to show the facets, or faces, of the gem. It takes patience and a long time for this process. If the jeweler tries to hurry, he can ruin the diamond by causing a flaw with an ill-placed cut. After cutting the diamond into several pieces, he takes his time shaping, smoothing, and polishing each piece until the light inside sparkles brightly for the world to see.

Did it occur to you that we are much like diamonds? We start out covered in sin, ugly, and seemingly worthless. We have been pressed down with tremendous weight and the heat of trials and temptations. When we place our trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, He takes each of us and begins the process of chiseling away the sins that hold us back. He is the Master Jeweler who sees the potential in each of us. He can see the stunning gemstone hidden away under the layers of sin.

This chiseling process isn’t much fun. It hurts! Removing the layers of sin that encapsulate the gem inside is necessary. When you are going through a tough time that makes you cry out for relief, try and think of it as being shaped into a diamond. After being chiseled and cut, there is still much smoothing and polishing to be done. The diamond starts to show through the layers of rock early on, but it takes time to reveal its beauty completely.

As the light inside us begins to be revealed, it attracts others. Sometimes they don’t know what it is about us that they are drawn to. The more we allow God to shape us, the more we shine for Him. He will not finish this process until we leave this earth, but we can shine brightly while He is working with us.

Consider the hard things in your life. Can you look back and see how those things that pressed you down and nearly crushed you have shaped you into who you are today?

I am reminded of a quote from Maya Angelou, “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” It’s true. We need to look back before we can look forward. We need to recognize God’s hand in every rough situation we’ve been in. We need to acknowledge His sovereignty in allowing us these experiences. Some of the things we’ve been through seem to be designed to break us. Some of the things we experienced brought us great sorrow or great joy. But everything has a purpose. That purpose is to reveal the stunning gemstone we have hidden inside us. Every single one of us is like a precious diamond in the sight of our Heavenly Father. He rejoices over each of us. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV)

God is singing a song to you today. He has a different one for each of us. Will you tune your heart to hear it? Let His Holy Spirit guide you as you radiate His glory for the world to see. You are a unique, beautiful, and stunning diamond.

New International Version (NIV)

Diamond In The Rough

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