You are a Diamond in the Rough

You may have heard someone call you a diamond in the rough. What does that even mean? When you think about a diamond, a translucent, sparkling stone comes to mind. It is so valuable that a young man in love may spend two month’s salary to purchase the perfect gem for his intended. But why is the perfect diamond so costly? What makes it so valuable?

How Is a Diamond Formed?

It may help to understand the natural processes involved in creating a diamond. First of all, you need to know that a diamond is pure carbon. So is graphite, but it looks nothing like a diamond. The difference is the number of carbon atoms that are bonded together under pressure. Graphite consists of 4 carbon atoms bonded together. But a diamond has 5 atoms bonded together in such a way that light passes all around them instead of getting stuck between the atoms like it does in graphite.

So we have our five carbon atoms hanging out waiting to become a diamond. What has to happen to them? A LOT! They experience pressure about 50,000 times greater than what they would experience on the earth's surface. And the temperature to create a diamond is about 1600°C. That is a lot of pressure and heat. But without all that pressure and heat you wouldn't get a diamond. You might get charcoal or graphite, but definitely not a diamond. It takes that amount of heat and pressure to squeeze the carbon atoms enough so they begin reaching out and touching other atoms.

Making a Diamond in the Rough Sparkle

Diamonds are created about 125 miles below the earth's surface. However, volcanic eruptions have pushed them closer to the surface where miners find them. Lab grown diamonds simulate the pressure and heat to create diamonds in a fraction of the time. Whether a diamond is found in nature or grown in a lab, it needs to go through a process of preparation to give it real value. According to Diamondexpert.com, there are 5 main steps.

The first is planning. The diamond cutter figures out the best way to maximize the diamond's potential. Next, the cutter will cleave the diamond, separating it into several usable pieces. Bruiting is the process of spinning two diamonds against each other so they will help each other form into a round shape. In the polishing phase the cutter adds a total of 57 facets to the diamond, causing it to sparkle and shine. Finally, in the monitoring phase, the manufacturer evaluates the diamond carefully. If it doesn't meet the standards, it goes back to the diamond cutter for further polishing.

Seeing Yourself as a Diamond

You are a masterpiece created by God. He knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). So let's see how the divine diamond cutter brings out the sparkle in His gems. When we are in the furnace of suffering or under the immense pressure of difficult circumstances, God is forming our character. In Romans 5:3, Paul says, "We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Just like the intense pressure squeezes the carbon atoms so that they reach out and bond to other atoms, so the pressure cooker of life often forces us to connect to other believers and, more importantly, to our Lord.

The steps of the diamond cutter correlate to many of the things that the Master does in the life of a believer. First, He has a plan for each of us. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not calamity, to give you a hope and a future." God has specifially designed you and me to fulfill a purpose that He has planned for us. Cleaving happens in our lives when God removes things that are unneccesary. Then He uses other believers in our lives in the bruiting phase as we shape and sharpen one another in the body of Christ. Proverbs 27:17 talks about this process using iron instead of diamonds: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

As we mature in our faith, we are ready for the polisher to cut all the necessary facets into our character to help us fully reflect the glory of God. This process takes time and patience. Spiritual maturity doesn't happen overnight. Mature believers will spend their lives in the monitoring phase where they keep going back into the hands of the Master polisher. When we finally enter the Lord's presence in Heaven, we will be like sparkling diamonds ready to reflect all of His glory!

Where do you see yourself in this process? How is the Master turing you into a sparkling gem to reflect His glory?