WHEN I was a little girl my mother would take my brother and me downtown to buy school clothes. (This was most definitely before the shopping malls sprang up.) I especially enjoyed window-shopping at some of the expensive jewelry stores. I remember staring for the longest time at the exquisite diamond, ruby, and emerald rings. However, my viewing wasn’t limited to those precious stones. The pearl rings and earrings and other expensive pieces of jewelry also captured my eye. Yet, by far my favorite were the diamonds.

What little girl doesn't dream of wearing dazzling jewelry? I was no different. I even announced to my mom, as she pulled me away from the window, “I’m going to own a diamond one day!” Well, I guess I spoke my future in advance because God has blessed me with a few of those, but the best is yet to come. Oh, Goody!

Have you ever looked intently at a brand new bride’s engagement ring or a diamond necklace, how each dazzling facet is intricately shaped and gleams? The brilliant cast of light that comes off the stone itself sometimes is enough to blind you. The excellent craftsmanship it must take to create such a work of jeweled artistry amazes me.

Truthfully though, a diamond is nothing more than a black lump of coal—yuk! With careful precision the trained diamond expert chisels and with small, but firm, instruments carves a gorgeous, previous finished product. The stone is unrecognizable from its early beginnings—no more a black lump of ugly coal, but now a brilliant, gleaming gem. No more a worthless looking piece of stone, but now a precious, precisely skilled, finished work of art.

As Christians, my Lord reminds me that we are unfinished, but favored. He carefully recreates each piece of art to be used by Him in His Kingdom to be much better than a dazzling diamond. All the chiseling and hammering at my rough edges is only to bring out the greatness and get rid of the stuff He can’t use. Don’t fear or doubt my Christian friend, the fire may be hot, the hammering may make your situation look dim, but your Heavenly Father knows your needs, sees far beyond what you can comprehend and He is still working on His Diamond in the rough!