Diamonds in the Dust

Diamonds are fascinating, sparkling, and a symbol of love.

When Rick and I were first head-over-heals in love during college, we ventured into engagement ring shopping. After searching many jewelry stores, we could not find one we liked. One more store remained before giving up the hope of finding a diamond ring for that day. With each passing minute, my hope diminished as the clock ticked closer to closing time.

Perusing the display cases in the last possible store, a certain ring against the black velvet caught our attention. Among the diamonds was a  pear-shaped diamond ring that was not too small. My heart beat faster with excitement.

But we had a problem. Rick didn’t have much money with him or credit established. To this day I wonder what we were thinking, shopping for the diamond without much money. The kind jeweler asked for a character reference; we gave him the contact information for our campus minister. After the phone call was made, the jeweler agreed to sell the ring to us, with no down payment or signed contract. Amazing! All he asked was that Rick return the next week to pay for it (which he did).

Over the decades, the diamond became more meaningful to me.

Occasionally I took it to a jeweler for cleaning and was warned that one of the prongs could possibly break. I did not worry about it, nor did I heed his warning.

One day years later the misfortune happened. We had been spring-cleaning all over the house. Afterwards we took a walk on that cool day. When I removed my knit glove, something snagged on my left hand. Staring at my ring, I saw a broken prong  The diamond was gone. My heart sank! Even though we retraced our steps, it was nowhere to be found.

I diligently kept looking for the diamond over the next months. It was never far from my mind. Any small shiny object on the ground caught my attention.

The next spring I was again cleaning in the basement, remembering my lost diamond. Scanning the basement floor, a sparkle in the corner caught my attention; my heart skipped a beat. Could it be the diamond? A closer look revealed it was only a stray sequin from an old costume. I sighed with disappointment. Another tiny glint on the concrete raised my curiosity. Sweeping and then scrutinizing the dust pile, I found it was only glitter from an old art project. Another letdown.

Obsessed with my search mission, I knew I had to clean everywhere. In a moment of divine inspiration, I reached the broom under the hot water heater (for the record, I never clean under there) and pulled out a wad of dirt and huge dust balls. A dull sparkle caught my eye. I reached down, picking it up from the crud. I held my breath. Could it be? Rubbing the dirt and dust off the hard pebble revealed my precious jewel.

My diligent search paid off! The lost diamond was in my hand.

I quickly called Rick to come home. When he arrived at the door, a worried look crossed his face, thinking something terrible had happened from the urgency in my voice. The sparkle of joy in my eyes gave him relief that it must be good news.

“Look, I found it!” pointing to the diamond in the palm of my hand.

His first comment? “It’s so small.”

Then he suggested we could sell it (why would I need another diamond?). The fire in my eyes indicated he gave another inappropriate answer.

“Uh, maybe it should be mounted in a new setting.”

Correct answer. I agreed and smiled.

We hugged.

We later had the diamond mounted in a new setting as a pendant necklace.

After having it appraised, I learned there is a small chip in it. At first it bothered me that my diamond was not as perfect as I thought. But then I accepted the fact. It reminds me of that God gives us a new “heart setting” by His grace.

We are diamonds in the dust.

Before we come to the Lord Jesus, we are dirty and dust covered. Each of us comes to the Lord with our imperfections. We don’t deserve to be lifted from the dust pile of sin. His grace finds us, picks us up and transforms us with a new heart setting.

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

The Master Designer re-shapes us through His grace into new creations reflecting His glory.We are precious in His eyes, His treasured possession. It’s all because of the His redeeming grace.