Did you know that diamonds are the hardest known natural materials? The hardness of each individual diamond depends on the purity – bits of carbon or other material makes the diamond brittle and easier to break. These imperfections also affect the color, clarity and brilliance of the diamond. The purer the stone, the more brilliant the cut. Impure stones are cut down and used for files and grinders. Pure stones become gemstones, sparkling fire formed in the magma at the core of the Earth.
In order to take a dull, quartz-like rock and turn it into a brilliant diamond, much of the stone has to be cut away. It takes a very skilled person to perform the task. One wrong tap or too much pressure at the wrong time can ruin what could be a valuable gem. Just “[a]s iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17), diamonds are so hard that it takes another diamond to cut and shape them.
You could think of Moses as a human diamond. The son of a slave, he was raised in Pharaoh’s household. As an angry young man, he killed a man who had abused a fellow Hebrew. He was a very rough stone.
He began to be shaped when he fled to the desert and met a Midian shepherd who taught him how to keep sheep – animals that need constant attention and patience. Then God began the cutting process. Through the fire of the burning bush, the stress of hard negotiations with Pharaoh and grumbling kinsmen, the Lord shaped Moses to be a lawgiver, leader of a nation, performer of miracles, and one who spoke to God face-to-face.
It takes hard situations to shape us into the person He wants us to be. Are you in a impossible place, dealing with a difficult person or physical limitations that have pushed you to your limit? God will use these to make you better. Look for ways to reflect Him in the midst of your trials. Remember that He hasn’t forgotten you and that He has loved you since before the creation of time. Become a diamond and sparkle His love to all you see. 
Angie fell in love with biblical fiction in junior high. She lives in South Carolina with her hubby in the middle of a big wood. She would love for you to join her at her team blog, Seriously Write, website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Comments 6
LOOOOOOVE this! Since I am SUCH a visual gal, this had great meaning. I’m printing so I have it handy to reread often. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh, I’m so glad, Marsha! Thanks so much for that encouragement this morning! It’s always a thrill when my writing touches someone’s heart that much. 🙂 Yay!
This is terrific way of explaining our trials and how they make us so much stronger in our faith if we just let us turn to the Lord to help us through them. Love it. Jesus isn’t through with me yet. I keep praying for His purity to be to shine through my life so others can see Him. Good devotion, Angie!
Yes, that’s exactly it! I need to remember to ask Him to help me through it. (Needed to re-read this, this morning.) Love this, “. I keep praying for His purity to be to shine through my life so others can see Him.”
Thank you so much, Barbara!
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I actually have a whole talk on diamonds, Angie. They are an amazing illustration of God’s refining process, and you described it so beautifully here. Thanks so much for the encouragement that those bumps and cuts we’re receiving all have a beautiful purpose in God’s eternal plan! 😉
Do you really? I’d love to hear it! 🙂 Thank you so much!
And thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts here. This is an amazing bunch of encouragers!