Making a Diamond

Ephesians 2:10 ~ "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Beloved, all believers go through times that leave them befuddled and wondering if they had done some mischief to bring such terrible circumstances. Even I have often wondered why things tend to be so difficult.  Challenges, pressures and strife surround us until our souls are vexed beyond rational thought.  Perhaps you have found yourself in this same position: hunkered down with only one word of prayer on your lips: “Why?”

And though no audible voice from heaven rumbled into my ears, I believe from the Scriptures that God’s answer is this: “I’m making a diamond.” Let me explain.

There are several circumstances, real and painful, that go into making a diamond.  To take a lump of coal and transform it into the hardest, most precious and lustrous gem in the entire world, to go from fodder for the fire to a scintillating stone takes work.  Four elements are needed to transform a piece of coal into a precious diamond: time, pressure, heat and the unwavering hand of the master cutter.  

Time:
You might have learned by now that God is not in a hurry. He is patient and faithful and will walk His children through their lives at His own pace in order to transform a life into something precious. You cannot cut the process short.  The transformation cannot be quickened like some microwave method of dinner preparation.  God will take His time with you as He transforms your life into the precious gem He desires.  “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).  

Pressure:
Without pressure, coal will remain as it is. The crushing weight of the world is required to press the carbon into crystalline form.  The external experiences of life are set to press us into the mold that God has created.  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).

Heat:
The only thing that burns away dross is fire.  I asked a metalsmith when he knew it was the right time to begin forging a sword. He told me, "When steel has fire on the inside, it is ready to be made into a tempered sword."  The refining fire of God, that burns so fiercely, is ignited in our hearts and purges our lives from the impurities of sin.  "And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’" (Zechariah 13:9).

The Master Cutter:
With an eye to what can be made, and what must be cut away, the master cutter will strike against the stone until the precious gem is finally ready. With even greater love and determination, God will carve and shape us by the sharp knife of His word. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." (John 15:1-3)

The forging process that God takes you through is hard, sometimes harsh, but God has one goal in mind—to refine your life.  If you ever find yourself asking God “why,” pay close attention to His word. You might just discover that God is making a diamond.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

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