I’m not sure why, but it’s the tough times in my life that tend to inspire the most thought.  Thoughts that go way beyond the surface.  Thoughts that force me to dig deep into every corner of my existence in an effort to better understand why pain is such an essential part of life.  There isn’t a soul in this world that can honestly say they love the times when life is at it’s absolute worst.  We tend to gravitate towards the times in life that bring us joy, but if you think about it,  those joyful moments would lose a lot of their luster if they weren’t brought to the surface following some of our darkest hours.

 I got to thinking about diamonds and how similar they are to our existence.  We’re born with all the necessary “elements” to live out the days the Lord has planned for us and over time we experience ups and downs, highs and lows and as the years come and go we begin to realize why everything we’ve faced had a purpose.  We learn something valuable from every experience and it strengthens us as we move forward.  There are times when the pressure seems almost unbearable and the dark moments feel as if they will never end but with each unbearable moment a new “facet” is formed on our soul.  Over time many “facets” are created and although their formation was gained from incredible pain they shine brightly from within our heart.  As we move forward we find ourselves in the company of others suffering with pain similar to pain we’ve experienced and we’re given the opportunity to call upon our “facets.”  Can you imagine a world where no one ever said I know how you feel or I’ve been there and I promise, there are better days ahead.  Words like this would never be spoken if there was no pain and no suffering.  It’s a bit ironic if you think about it……pain can actually bring comfort, hope and even joy when the experience gained from it is shared with others enduring a “facet” forming time in their life.

I never really knew how long it took for a diamond to form or just how but after a small amount of research I couldn’t help but see the similarities between those incredible stones and our existence.  The intense heat and pressure for over a billion years brings forth one of the strongest substances known to man.  It sparkles and shines and is readily given as a token of deep love.  Our pain, stress and feelings of unworthiness and our moments of despair when we are sure we simply cannot take another step change us and that change, once unearthed, sparkles and shines and when shared, is received as a token of deep love for others.