A ceramic bowl is not valuable when it’s only a lump of clay. A knife left unsharpened is a useless tool or weapon. In the same way, diamonds in the rough are much more valuable after they’ve been cut, chiseled and polished.
We also are not as valuable to the world until the Crafter’s Hands have refined, sharpened, molded, cut, shaped and polished us. However, all this Craftwork can sometimes be painful to our emotions, and circumstances.
God knows the people, places, jobs, habits, and situations in our life that need to be removed. And sometimes for these things to be removed we have to endure a dry season, a quiet time, a time-out, a testing time, a trial time.
God wants our life to be worthwhile. Whatever it takes to get us to be the person God wants us to become, He will do it.
You probably can reflect on times in your life that were a struggle. Yet looking back you know during that rough time of life you grew the most in your relationship with God.
Valuable things like gold and diamonds take time and work to purify.
So be truly glad. There is a wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire test and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when you faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor and on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. ~ I Peter 1:6-7
Take a few moments to enjoy this beautiful song from an artist I recently discovered: Ginny Owens.
Image Credit: NejroN / 123RF Stock Photo