60
years of marriage, and its humble cousin, coal? It is the amount
of heat and pressure that each has undergone.
Coal is formed when a layer of
eroding vegetation is compressed under the weight of much dirt,
rock, or water above it. Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon
that have been subjected to tremendous heat and pressure in
the bowels of the earth and brought to the surface by volcanic
eruptions. It takes much more pressure and heat to make a diamond
than it does coal.
Diamonds are truly extraordinary!
They are the hardest natural substance known to man. Diamonds
are transparent over a large range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet
to infrared, and have a higher refraction index than any other
substance. They conduct heat better than anything else—five
times better than the second best element, which is silver—and
have the highest melting point. The atoms of a diamond are packed
closer together than are the atoms of any other substance. The
English word “diamond” comes from the Greek adamas,
which means “unconquerable.”
The trials and tribulations that
we face in life are like the heat and pressure that are exerted
on carbon atoms to shape them into diamonds. If we are going
through particularly hard times, it may be that the Lord is
making something precious of us. Imagine if a lump of coal refused
to go through the process necessary to make it what it was destined
to be—a diamond. It would remain a lump of coal.
Even after the diamond is formed
in the earth and discovered by man, it must be cut and polished
before its beauty and value can be fully appreciated. Diamonds
are cut and polished by friction using other diamonds. God often
“cuts and polishes” by means of adversity. People
who have gone through the process already—other “diamonds”—can
help bring out the best in us too, if we let them.
One way to tell if diamonds are
genuine or mere imitations is by placing them in water and shining
a light on them. Imitation diamonds lose their sparkle when
submerged, but real diamonds continue to brightly glisten. The
contrast between the real and the imitation is apparent even
to the unskilled eye. Like genuine diamonds, we too will continue
to shine with God's brilliance even when the waters of difficulty
and sorrow overwhelm us, if we stay in the light of His presence.
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Stick
to Your Job
Diamonds are only chunks of coal
That stuck to their jobs, you see;
If they'd petered out, as most of us do,
Where would the diamonds be?
It isn't the fact of making a start,
It's the sticking that counts. I'll say,
It's the fellow that knows not the meaning
of fall,
But hammers and hammers away.
Whenever you think you've come to the end,
And you're beaten as bad as can be,
Remember that diamonds are chunks of coal,
That stuck to their jobs, you see.
—Minnie
Richard Smith
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iamonds
and coal are both comprised of carbon. So why are diamonds
so prized, while coal is merely thrown into the fire to burn?
What makes the difference between the glistening gem that
is a symbol of purity and strength, worn in the crowns of
royalty, and given as engagement gifts or to celebrate
