FIT FOR THE KINGDOM

By Deborah R. Turner

            A large chunk of grey, lusterless crystal nestles in the hand of an old miner.  He turns it around and around with thick grizzled fingers, examining it from all angles.  Small patches of clear white colour flash up at him from the rough, broken sides of the rock.

            "Look at this," he crows to his gemologist friend, plunking the rock down on the counter.  "Isn't she a beauty?"

            "Not yet, but she will be," the gemologist answers.  Inside the kimberlite matrix is fire and ice, a dazzling brilliance and immense value.  He knows that with skillful craftsmanship, he will be able to bring out the best in this diamond.

            The gemologist takes a look at the rough stone through a special microscope and marks the best places to break the diamond so it will be more workable and take away the worst of the faults, called inclusions, that cloud the stone and dull the fire which in turn reduces the value of the gem.

            After cutting the diamond into a shape that will make the most use of its potential brilliance, the craftsman then meticulously facets the gemstone.  Under his masterful touch, the rough stone emerges as a priceless gem full of a life and beauty all its own.  His final job is a gentle polishing of each facet with fine abrasives to bring out every bit of fire the stone possesses.

            The gemologist smiles in satisfaction as he puts his tools away.  The creating of a fine diamond takes many hours and precision craftsmanship, but the resulting brilliance makes the work worth the effort.  He has turned a rough grey pebble into a prized gemstone that will draw exclamations of awe from those clustered around the jeweler's display window.

            So it is with our lives.

            When we first come to Christ, we are that rough stone in its natural matrix.  We still carry around a covering of the old man.

            We cry to Jesus, our Master Gemologist, "Look at me!  I am rough, imperfect.  I have nothing of value to give to You." 

            But He knows better.  He shed his life's blood to acquire us, grey and rough though we may be now.  When He looks in our lives, he sees a potential beauty and fire just waiting to be exposed.  And so begins our transformation from dull rock to brilliant gem.

            First He removes the major faults in our lives; those things that would hinder us in our walk with the Lord.  Sometimes all it takes is a verse of Scripture or a sermon in church.  Maybe its just a word from a Christian friend that the Lord uses to speak to our spirits.

            Other times, though, the process is harder and more painful.  The Lord must give us a sharp rap on the head to get our attention.  Often it requires more than one rap before we will listen and obey Him.

            Then the faceting begins.  This is an uncomfortable, sometimes even agonizing, process as the Lord works to bring out our talents and the gifts hidden deep inside us.

            After several areas of our lives have been faceted, we'll say to the Master Gemologist, "Look at me.  See how I shine here.  And there's a sparkle over there.  I look pretty good, don't I?  You don't need to work on me anymore.  Go work on someone else."

            The Lord just smiles tenderly at us and keeps working.  He knows there are other areas in our lives that need to be shaped; things that will help draw others to Christ.  If He stops working now, we will remain out of balance and the potential in our lives can never be realized.

            And so through trials and testings, through exhortation and council, the Lord continues to chip away at the rough spots in our lives until all our facets are smooth.

            Of course, the work is not complete yet.  The facets are dull, the brilliance out of focus.  We must be gently polished until the true fire and brilliance in our lives is revealed.

            Then, when our time here on Earth is finished and we have gone on to Glory, the Master Gemologist presents us to the Father and says, "Here is a gem fit for Your Kingdom."

            Being confident of this very thing ... He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

                                                                                   Philippians 1:6 NKJ

c. 2003