Diamonds in the Dust

“I am not what I was…but I am what I have become.” This phrase came into the scrambled jumble of synapses I call a brain yesterday morning. I had read earlier in the morning a post by a friend of mine concerning a Bible study where the discussion topic was ‘Diamonds in the Dust’.

I realize that my mind works a bit differently than most. I tend to approach things from the side, thus giving me a rather unusual and at times incomprehensible view of things. As I read the words of the post, I immediately thought of a school field trip I took in the 5th grade to the only working diamond mine in the United States. This mine is located close to Murfreesboro Arkansas. Here the public can come and sort through the dust, rocks, and dirt to hunt for diamonds and you get to keep anything you find! Obviously all I found was an opportunity to get out of the classroom.

I have long heard the phrase, ‘diamond in the rough’ used, but never ‘diamond in the dust’. I wonder at that. Before the former can be transformed from its natural state, to the lustrous beauty of fine jewelry, it must be rescued from the dust.

This is an interesting concept. It is also very applicable to our lives. It is from the dust of despair that God rescues us. We are covered in the dirt of our bad choices, and the bad choices of others. The potential for beauty and value lies within each of us, but is unrealized as long as our domicile is the dusty refuse of a cataclysmic event. You see, it is the eruption of a volcano that brings the diamond to the surface. However, surfacing is only the beginning. The diamond must be found.

Even after one finds a diamond, its beauty and value is not realized until the stone has been carefully cut and polished by a skilled artisan who does not concern themselves with its current state of existence, but what the diamond can become. They are able to see the potential that lies under the dusty coating.

We are all found in the dust; brought there by the heat and pressure of a sinful world. We many times surface to the attention of others only through the violent explosions of life. It is sad, that many times it requires such a destructive act for us to be noticed. I, as everyone else, stand guilty of this negligence; the failure to dig deep into life and find these treasures before they must be expelled from their resting places in such a manner.

However, I am thankful for the artisans who recognized the chunk of stone in the dust, and helped shape and form my life into what I have become. I am certainly not perfect, but I am happy with who I am. I also realize that many people had a part in making that happen. Their time and talent have transformed me from a useless chunk of dirty crystal, into something of albeit questionable beauty, but hopefully useful utility. I am certain this process is not finished.
It is my prayer to become an artisan. One who can see the chunks of crystal and identify the purpose that my Lord has for them. I pray that I might be able to skillfully help them realize the true nature within themselves that make them the wondrous creation God intended.

“God help me see in others what you have created them to be, and thank you for transforming me from what I was into what I have become.”
Enjoy The Java

Jim