Diamond in the Rough Meaning and Devotion

“We all, with unveiled faces are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

I love all things shiny, and diamonds are at the top of my list! Diamonds are beautiful, precious and sparkly. What’s not to love? Sadly, the diamond fell out of my wedding ring and I was devastated. The original jewelry company went out of business a very long time ago. After nearly twenty years of marriage, we were looking for an engagement ring!

I began by doing a little research on diamonds. I discovered that a diamond is formed under great pressure and heat. And, when it’s found there is dirt and a film covering it.  It’s found in the ground with various types of dirt and elements. Naturally, a diamond is rough, not shiny. After they are found, diamonds must be cleaned and polished. The color of a diamond depends upon which elements are present when the diamond was formed. They can be white, yellow, brown/chocolate, and sometimes they have black spots. Regardless of the coloring and the diamond’s history, a diamond has the potential to shine brilliantly! The diamond’s sparkle is a result of its cut. The cut isn’t just the shape of the diamond, such as marquis, round, and princess. The jeweler cuts multiple facets into a diamond that make it reflect light better.  When cut or shaped well, a diamond shines bright in the presence of light.

We are diamonds in the hand of God. He sees each of us as precious and beautiful. Just like a diamond, we may go through times of pressure and heat.  When God finds us, we are often covered with the elements of this world. But He doesn’t toss us aside, as a miner would toss a worthless rock. God sees our value and the potential for us to shine and bring Him glory. God notices a diamond in the rough.  Just like a diamond, we must be cleaned and polished.  When we come into relationship with God, we must repent of our sin, and allow God to clean us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

We have elements from our past that have colored our hearts. The black spots are the deep wounds in us. Some wounds are caused by our past sin, and other scars linger from times when we were the victim of another person’s sin. They are both part of our development under pressure, and part of our history as we become new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). God cuts back things, in our lives, that hinder us from reflecting Him. Just as a jeweler shapes the diamond to reflect the light, even with its flaws, God shapes us to best reflect His glory. 

This devotion was originally published in Journey Magazine in November 2016.