Diamonds in the rough

D iamonds are the result of ordinary carbon atoms which have crystallized by extreme pressure and intense heat over time.

In the rough, diamonds are often incased in a substance called kimberlite (volcanic rock). If one is lucky and blessed, one can walk in the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas and pick up a diamond laying in dirt. The United States has no active diamond mines and this makes the Crater of Diamonds State Park a unique place in all the world.

Through the careful cleaning and cutting, a skilled jeweler can remove the impurities and shape the diamond in the best way to refract and amplify light, to bring out the wonderful colors of light.

People are diamonds in the rough. Through time, trying and stressful experiences, God shapes people, honing their character, cutting away the impurities and placing the person in the exact setting for the person to excel in what God has created and gifted the person to accomplish.

Moses was such a diamond in the rough. His story is in the book of Exodus. Raised in the luxuries of the ruler of Egypt (Pharaoh), God brought Moses out into the desert for a forty-year period of having his character honed and sharpened for his future role of the leader of the Israelites.

Samson was another diamond in the rough (Judges 13-16). Samson’s pride needed trimming. After losing his eyesight and freedom, Samson finally realized that God never did leave him and was preparing him for one last great act of faith.

Ruth, another diamond in the rough needed shaping and cutting too. Ruth lost her husband, father in-law and brother in-law but exhibited a devotion and faith in God and in her mother in-law. Ruth, who was not Jewish, is in the lineage and heritage of Jesus.

One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Samuel. The parents of Samuel dedicated him to God and trained to serve as a priest and later became the leader of his nation. His sensitivity was on display early in life but needed shaping, guidance, and maturity.

That guidance came from the High Priest, Eli. Eli had his own shortcomings in life and family but God used Eli to shape and guide Samuel into becoming the great Priest and Prophet for the nation of Israel.

The people in the Bible were diamonds in the rough (having great potential) and God used each person for specific purposes. In the Bible, God used people to help strengthen and shape others who went on to remarkable acts and events and God still works this way in our lives. God continues to shape, mold, and prepare people for great works. Reading the Bible gives us a inside view of how God prepares people for the work He has created for them to accomplish (Ephesians 2:10).

Are you a diamond in the rough? Do you have character flaws, do you have a couple of moral failures?

Have you disappointed your family, friends, yourself? Great! God can use you! You are the kind of person God specializes in redeeming.

To reach the pinnacle of success, one must allow God to cut away all the things that keep us from shining for Him. The process is not easy, certainly not comfortable, in fact most of the time it is painful but it will all be worth it when we hear Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).

Clayton P. Adams, West Memphis, AR email: claytonp adamslll@gmail.com.

Clayton Adams