Caution: Mining Underway

We are all gifted. That is our inheritance. (Ethel Waters)

So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not stray away from the truth... The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and those who heard him testified it was true. God also testified to the truth of the message by using wonders, great signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit, just as he wanted. (Hebrews 2:1,4)

At times, it seems we have nothing 'good' going on in our lives - like life has stood still. If we knew what was going on 'behind the scenes', we might look at the 'stillness' of the moment we are enjoying as a kind of 'present' that prepares us for what is about to come. Even when it doesn't seem like much is going on, we still need to be consistent in our walk. We need to do the things we know to do - using the gifts we have been given to the best of our ability. Why? We are about to be launched into action and it will require us to be 'ready'. I used to think these times of 'nothing happening' were my 'fault' - like I did something to 'reduce' the presence of God in my life. It was just that God was uncovering things he was about to use in some way. When we don't see or 'appreciate' what God is doing, remember this: "Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles." (Thomas Browne)

Gifts sometimes seem like 'rough, worthless pebbles', the furthest thing from a polished and cut diamond. When those gifts we are given are used for God's glory, there is a 'cutting and polishing' process going on. God does the work of 'perfecting' the gifts we have been given as they are put into use - not the other way around. If we continue to see only 'rough stones' when we look at our lives, we might just get a bit discouraged. The stonecutter doesn't see the roughness of the diamond and discard it - he knows the extreme beauty of the stone lies deeper within. As the stone is 'put into use', tenderly cared for under the skillful eye of the stonecutter, a thing of beauty AND strength is unmasked. Did you now diamonds are one of the hardest precious stones in the world? They are pretty much indestructible.

God gave you those gifts - as rough stones maybe - but they are given so he can be manifest through your life. Do diamonds just 'surface'? No, they are mined. The times when it appears nothing is 'going on' in our lives may just be the seasons when God is unearthing those 'rough stones' in us. They have to be unearthed if they are to undergo their transformation, don't they? Never discount the beauty that is within each one of those rough nuggets. The first skillful touch of his hand will begin to reveal the beauty, but the more he cuts away at the roughness of the stone, the more beautiful that gift becomes. Just sayin!