In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, when the Apostle Paul uses the words “We were under great pressure,” it gets our attention, because he was stoned by a bunch of people and left for dead. Paul was beaten with rods three times, whipped with the lash, attacked by angry mobs, shipwrecked three times and spent a day and night dodging sharks in the open sea. He had a snakebite, he was criticized by unbelievers and believers, he had been arrested and he spent two years in jail without a trial. After all of that, Paul called these things “light and momentary afflictions.”
My government teacher in high school always said this to her students: “Pressure makes diamonds.” I think she said it to make us feel better about all of the homework we had and all that was expected of us for her class. But it is true. Pressure and heat are the main ingredients to turn coal into diamonds, the hardest stone there is.
The Lord makes us into jewels far beyond price and comparison in similar ways. He gives us tests and trials specifically designed for our personal circumstances to help us become more like His Son, Jesus Christ.
Usually during these tests and trials, we are not very happy with the circumstances we are placed in. Some of us may even complain from time to time. But ultimately, the Lord is blessing us.
I think back through my life at the various trials and hard times I have gone through, and I would not go back and change them.
An excellent example is when I had to learn how to speak with potential corporate sponsors for Georgia Avenue Day festival and parade. The first couple years were disastrous. But I had no choice but to keep trying.
Eventually, sponsors got excited and became my friends, and I became a dynamic salesperson when reaching to potential sponsors. My sparkle was beginning to come through, turning me into an illustrious diamond! You can do it too. The key is simple: Don’t quit. If you discontinue the pressure at any time along the way, that lump of coal will never become a lovely diamond.
Each of those experiences and trials have made me into the person that I am today. A diamond is one of the most expensive and precious of gems. Do you know how a diamond is made? It starts with a piece of coal.
How could a piece of coal ever become a diamond? Deep in the earth, extreme pressure and time compresses and makes a diamond. A diamond is the toughest of gems and is just as useful to industry as it is useful and beautiful as jewelry.
If we want to become a diamond kind of person, then we must willingly put up with the trials and tribulations that shape and form our character.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
