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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH (08/31/17)
Everyone loves how a diamond sparkles in the light regardless of size. They are known for their strength, versatility and value. Diamonds are used for ornamentation, enhancement and industrial use. We value them greatly and set that value on size, clarity, and purity. Luckily, God doesn't value us by those standards though He aims to make us the best person we can be.

When diamonds are dug from the earth they are rough. They already have all the qualities that will determine their market worth. Yet in the dark they look like a rock. It is the polishing and cutting away that creates the final gem. Like the diamond we too begin our life journey as a diamond in the rough. God begins immediately by creating in us all the qualities that will enable us to become our best self.

I love the fact that He values each of us equally despite our life's purpose. That is one difference between us and diamonds. Regardless of our value in the world's eyes, God sees us as a invaluable person, without price. He cherishes us.

Life is the grinding, polishing and cutting table. God, the Master Jeweler, carefully removes the imperfections of our character to reveal our inner beauty. The situations of life allows Him to chip away those things that detract from our beauty. The sad part is we are living stones so we have the choice to allow Him to remove those imperfections or fight against Him. The results of our rebellion may lead to a major fracture in our life. Like the diamond, whose size is diminished, our life scope may be limited. But our value to God does not. How different from the world's view.

Even as a diamond needs light to show its true beauty, we need God's light in our lives to show our true beauty. Diamonds reflect the light around them. We reflect the light of God within us. As we learn to know God's ways and allow Him to work in our life, we become more and more the person He sees us to be. Like a diamond that emerges from the rough, our life begins to take on a luster and shine that is attractive to behold. Even as the diamond takes shape and is identified as to its place and purpose, so too our life's purpose becomes clearer to us as we are molded into His image.

We become strong in character, versatile in our ability to serve others, and a clearer image of how much God loves all men equally. This isn't an instant process, nor is it a pain free experience at times, but the result is worth it. No matter how often we bulk against His honing of our lives nor how many times we fail and in the world's eye our value diminishes, we never lose value in His.

We all are diamonds in the rough. We all are being cut and polished into our best self. We all have infinite worth in the Master Jeweler's eyes. Our true beauty will show as we reflect His light at work in our life. We may choose how large an asset in service to the world we will be, but our value will never diminish to Him regardless of how often we fail.
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This article has been read 464 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Jenny Fulton 
09/07/17
Great thoughts and lessons in this piece. I really liked the analogy you made.

Red Ink: I think the intro could be more attention grabbing with a description of a diamond's beauty.

Try putting a space between paragraphs to aid in presentation.
Loni Bowden-Horn 
09/08/17
There were some valuable lessons in this entry. The gem I gleaned in your story was, "Regardless of our value in the world's eyes, God sees us as a invaluable."

One suggestion that may enhance your story is possibly going into a diamond mine and evaluate the process from beginning.

Keep up your writing.
Bonnie Bowden 
09/08/17
Your writing had many excellent comparisons between a diamond in the rough and the Christian life.

It might be good to add a personal story or antedote to add more interest to your first paragraph.
C D Swanson 
09/08/17
Great job with the topic. Well done, thanks for sharing.
Blessings~
Larry Whittington
09/09/17
You put a little of science in this article to illustrate how the Holy Spirit we receive when we are baptized (See Acts 2:38) works on us. He, the Holy Spirit, keeps chiseling on our rough spots to make us more like Jesus.

The instructions, be faithful till death, means we must keep letting the Holy Spirit work on us so we grow in Christ's image.

Keep writing and reminding us of how God works is us.
Elaine Hemingway
09/09/17
Well done, and great analogy. We are indeed valuable stones being cut and polished as e grow more into Christ's likeness. Thanks for the reminder He hasn't finished with us yet.

Only red ink is the need for white space.

Blessings.
Toni Babcock 
09/14/17
Lots of meaningful and lovely thoughts and comparisons in this piece. To help know when, where, and how to present your great thoughts in a definable sequence, it may help (before you develop your essay) to first outline the piece, and then create your final draft following that outline.
Loni Bowden-Horn 
09/14/17
Martha,

Congratulations on your second place finish in the beginner category.

C D Swanson 
09/14/17
Congrats Martha,
Well done,
Blessings~
Bonnie Bowden 
09/14/17
Congratulations on winning 2nd place in the Beginner's category, Martha.