I Hear You, Loud and Clear!

***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.***

Continuing my discussion on “The 4 C’s” (please see earlier postings), I am now to explore Clarity.  Where a diamond is concerned, the clarity refers to the amount of, or lack of, defects in the diamond.  These defects are typically miniscule pieces of carbon that appear as black spots/specks when looked at through a jeweler’s magnifier.  The more “spots” there are in the diamond, the less valuable it is considered to be.

Clarity is something we can all appreciate; clarity in where we stand in relationships, clarity in what is expected of us on the job, clarity in the paths our lives are heading, and even clarity in the glass of water we’re about to drink—there aren’t very many people who want to guzzle down a glass of muddy water!  But let’s be honest, clarity is hard to come by.  I remember when I was kid; I wanted to be a nurse, then a geologist, then an archaeologist, then a marine biologist.  I finally settled on becoming a teacher, but it took time for the path of my life to become clear to me. 

I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I were a diamond, I would not have a good rating when it comes to clarity.  The gem that is my life has “spots” and scars scattered throughout it from the trials in my life.  When my husband and I were 2 poor college students looking at engagement rings, we knew a colorless diamond with perfect clarity was way beyond our budget.  But one jeweler said something that has always stuck with me.  He said that perfect clarity isn’t always the best. (Say what???) He went on to explain that each diamond’s “spots” make it unique.  Just like each person in the world has unique fingerprints, each diamond has unique marks.  If you know what to look for, you can always spot your diamond if you learn to know its markings.  As he showed me the carbon specks in my diamond, he explained that it was these spots that would make my diamond stand out from others, if I just knew what to look for.

I have so many spots in the gem that is my life: past hurts, mistakes, carelessly spoken words, and many, many more.  I could sit and bemoan my spots and how they decrease my value.  But if I risk a new perspective, I see that my spots make me who I am.  Each spot marks the place where Christ has come along side me.  And as I allowed Him to intervene, He has transformed my flaws into marks that make me unique to Him.

I value my spots, do you?