I once heard a story of a man who owned acres of land with running brooks and rolling hills. He decided one day to sell his land and move away to search  for diamonds in other locations. The couple that purchased his property was walking one day over their land next to the creek when they saw something that caught their eye. As they reached down to pick it up they noticed the sparkle that it carried and was fascinated to the point that they brought the rock into their home and placed it on their mantle.

 It was a rather large rock with blemishes and even scratches on the surface but the part that caught their eye was not what they saw on the outside but what they could see sparkling on the inside. For there was something about this rock that caught their attention but until they actually took the time to pick it up and study its configuration this rock still remained just an interesting piece on their mantle.

 One day when a guest was visiting their home this rock caught  his attention also. As he picked it up and studied the rock he began to polish the stone and help chip off some of the things that were attached on the outside that obstructed the view of what was on  the inside. This man had an eye that could recognize what type of sparkle that he was holding in his hands and when he was done polishing the stone to their surprise this stone was a diamond in the rough that went on to be one of the largest diamonds on record.  

  Isn’t this how life is? It is in our human nature to look everywhere else and even give up on what we have just as the original landowner did in this story who sold his land to go search for something that he already had. There are so many lessons in this story that we can apply to our lives and until we learn how to look for what God has placed right before us and within us how can we honestly expect to find it somewhere else?

  God has placed treasures all around us and it is very easy to overlook something because of what we see on the outside but it is vital that we learn how to look for what God has given on the inside. In the book of 1 Samuel 16 the Lord said, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”   

 So many times we fail to search what God has given us just as the farmer and we miss out on the blessings that can be received. Every single individual has a diamond in the rough but it requires attention, time, study, and even polishing with the gentle touch of love that will make it shine beyond mankind. Sometimes things even have to be chipped away because of how they are attached but once this is done in love you will find that it was for its own good. Once we discover the jewel that we carry we must maintain what we have been given by applying the Word of God to our lives daily to increase our values in life as we learn to walk with Jesus Christ.

We never know what we have until we actually take the time to look within ourselves in the Word of God to discover the jewels that we carry and the treasures of love that fills our hearts and souls…amen

James Harrison / Servant

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