THIS is a Diamond?

Sometimes the boundless worth of a woman is not immediately apparent. Usually it’s not apparent to those who measure a person’s value by a set of criteria based solely upon the exterior. And I’m not just talking about looks, we can be judged by what we drive, where we live and how we make our money. Everything from what kind of purse we carry (not a designer? Gasp!) to if and where we attended college can help others to decide whether we measure up to a certain standard. Sometimes the external features of a woman’s life are less than impressive and if that’s as close as we look, we may find her unexceptional. But let’s consider what happens to a diamond in the rough in the hands of a master.

As a young man, my father had an interesting experience which I think illustrates my point. He was just out of the army and he had gone there right from his family farm. Needless to say, he had no experience with diamonds or jewels of any kind. The closest he got to stones of any worth was when he shoveled coal into the family stove. So one day, as he wandered along the street of a big city, he was a little puzzled by what he saw in the window of a jewelry store. A distinguished looking man sat at a table with some strange implements on them. He caught my father watching and he must have enjoyed having an audience because he began to put on a show. He carefully picked up a rock from the table and began to turn it over in his hands. The jeweler seemed to be considering his next move as he held it up to the light. My father wondered why a jeweler would have what looked to him to be a piece of coal in his store. Maybe it was just a really ugly stone! After a time, the jeweler seemed to make up his mind about his course of action. He put the rock on the table, picked up a small implement and wham! He broke the rock open. He did this again and again until at last he seemed satisfied. By this time, my dad had realized that this most certainly had to be a jewel of some sort since the jeweler was taking so much time cutting the stone. Next, the old man began to polish the stone. He worked and worked, until at last he held the stone up to the sunlight streaming in through the window. A ray of morning sun hit the stone, revealing a rainbow of color and fire. With a sense of wonder my father came to understand that the ugly rock was actually a diamond. He knew if he had come across this uncut diamond in his family coal bin that he would have put it in the stove, without ever knowing it’s value. He would have assumed that he knew exactly what it was, he would have known it’s worth. It took the keen eye and skillful hands of a master diamond cutter to bring out the beauty that was hidden under a plain and unremarkable exterior.

I know that this story is simplistic and I also know that it’s a little trite. I mean, don’t we all know that you should never judge a book by it’s cover, still waters run deep and beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Do we really “know” these truths or are they just familiar sayings? Why oh why, do we allow ourselves to be measured by someone else’s standards? And even worse, why do we agonize when we don’t pass the test?

During a dark period in my life in which I found myself frequently regretting how unsuccessful I was, I had a moment of revelation. As I was praying I was lamenting the “facts” that I was not this or that. I hadn’t accomplished anything on my 10 year, 5 year, 1 year or 1 month plan for success. I hadn’t even started my diet last Monday! I told God what a complete failure I was. I explained to Him that I was not a success. I waited for Him to tell me just how disappointed He was in me. Then, a kind, quiet voice said words to me that I have found hard to forget. “By what yardstick are you measuring success? Seek to please me. That is all that you need to do.” What a great sense of peace and relief I felt when I began to understand that our Creator looks beyond my less-than-perfect exterior and still sees a diamond. He desires to apply His expertise to my life and show me what is really important. He wants to make me shine for Him.

Bebe