***If you have just started reading my blog, may I suggest that you read my earlier blog postings? The train of thought I am on is not actually about gemstones, but something much deeper.***
***WARNING*** The “geology geek” in me is about to peek out a smidgen, but PLEASE endure and read my post…I hope that it will challenge and encourage you!
Forgive me as I take a different path for this post regarding “The 4 C’s”. My final post on “Carat” is coming soon. Did you know that coal and diamonds are made of the same thing? Carbon. The black lumps that we threaten to give naughty children at Christmas and the sparkly gems that women yearn for and men go broke over are both carbon. What’s the difference? It all depends on where they are formed. If a lump of coal finds itself (approximately) 80 miles below the surface of the earth, over time, the coal will transform into a diamond. What are the catalysts for change? Heat and Pressure. The heat comes from the Earth’s core, while the pressure comes from the 80 miles of earth + gravity pressing down on it.
Coal + 80 (or more) miles below the surface + heat + pressure + time = DIAMOND (ta-da!)
With all of my faults, I can so very easily relate to the coal. I can see others, who are “made of the same stuff” I am, but they sparkle and shine. What’s the difference? How can I transform from the lump of coal I feel that I am, into the gem I want to be? Heat and Pressure. Just like a lump of coal requires heat and pressure to transform into a valuable diamond, my life requires heat and pressure to refine me. When “the heat is on” can I make the right choices in difficult situations? And when the pressures of the world are weighing me down, I have to be strong enough to withstand the elements to become the gem I was created to be. It isn’t easy, but I have faith that the result will be worth the wait and prove much more valuable in the end.
II Corinthians 5:17 -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone! The new has come.
Can you withstand the heat and pressure?
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