“She’s a real gem.”
How many of you have ever heard that expression? Do you have any thoughts
on what it might mean to be a gem? This study resulted from a chapter
in my son Luke's science book that caught my attention and I think it
will yours as well!
The beauty of God’s creation is not limited to exotic animals, colorful
plants, and majestic mountains and sunsets. Within the dull-colored rocks
that cover the earth lie small deposits of igneous (hot, molten rock that
solidifies) and metamorphic crystals called gemstones. When cut and polished,
these crystals gain a brilliance that can last for centuries!
The rarest, most durable and beautiful gems are considered precious stones.
These gems have been prized throughout history for their hardiness, their
color, and the dazzling way they reflect light! The Bible has much to
say about precious stones and their use. As a matter of fact, when David
organized the building of the temple to the glory of God, many precious
stones were integrated in the construction…
1 Chron. 29:8
“And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure
of the house of the Lord…”
2 Chron. 3:6
“And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty…”
The diamond, which is a hard, crystalline form of carbon, is the hardest
of all known minerals. Thus, a crystal of diamond cannot be scratched
by any other material; it can only be cut by another diamond. It is interesting
to note that gems of sturdy quality were used in building the local church.
Ladies, the Lord wants His house to be assembled with the right materials!
The question is, are you a REAL gem?? Are you adding beauty to your local
church with the dazzling way you reflect the light of Christ? Have you
developed the power of endurance or are you easily scratched and chipped?
Gems that are not as rare or as durable as precious stones are called
semi-precious. They may be so beautiful that they are confused with more
valuable stones. However, when placed in a ring or set in a necklace,
they never seem to hold up under use! Do you have that same tendency,
dear lady? Many of God's people lack durability in the service of the
Lord. As a result, precious stones hold greater value, yet few realize
how such a jewel is made... Most diamonds used as gems are mined from
mineral deposits. These deposits are usually found in deep tubelike formations
known as diamond pipes that appear to be clogged vents of extinct volcanoes,
the very pathway in which hot magma passed through...
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: [13] But rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Ladies, do you know what these diamond pipes are representative of? Trials
in our lives! Trials are not strangers to the Christian life; they are
to be expected. I hope you haven't been surprised that they became part
of your life after salvation, for trials are God’s tools for perfecting
His own! When the heat is on, God is at work within us...
Scientists think that volcanoes begin with huge bubbles of melted rock
that form deep in the earth’s hot mantle. Because melted rock is lighter
than solid rock, such a “bubble” squeezes upward through the solid mantle
toward the earth’s surface. As pressure builds up inside the magma chamber,
it is forced higher through WEAK SPOTS or cracks in the rock, until finally
the trapped gases blast an opening or vent through the earth’s surface.
This vent, which releases the pressure within the magma chamber is what
we call a volcano. Therefore, a volcano is a vent that allows molten rock
and hot gases to escape from within the earth. Though this magma is diamond
bearing, the area cannot be mined for use until all flare-ups have ceased.
As we apply this principle to our lives, neither can we be mined for precious,
Christlike character traits until our own explosive nature has come to
an end...
1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Christians are the living stones that make up God’s temple. There is a
day coming that will show each of our hearts in a true light – that will
reveal whether we are precious or semi-precious stones. Until Christ returns,
Christians must go through testing. A faith that can’t be tested, can’t
be trusted! Though our suffering is for a season, from the Lord’s perspective,
the glory will be forever! Trials are preparation for our future ministry
in eternity. In fact, every problem you face is a test. Will you trust
the Lord with what He is doing in your life? Will you allow Him to add
beauty to the local church by personally forming you into a precious stone
through various heated circumstances? How you respond to your problems
will tell you the answer. It is best to welcome that which will make us
stronger! They may not make you especially happy, but trials will teach
you something. There is a refining influence to the furnace of affliction...
1 Cor. 3:11-13
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. [12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13] Every man's work shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and
the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
TRIALS TEACH US HOW TO BUILD! According to this portion of scripture,
there is one foundation and two ways to build upon it. The first builder
mentioned above uses lasting materials - gold, silver and precious stones.
This is the Christian who seeks to honor God, aiming for quality that
will glorify Christ. Wise builders use the Word, they pray and depend
on the Spirit of God. By tapping into that which is precious, they themselves
become more precious and extremely durable; only to be scratched by another
diamond! As a result, their work is lasting. When the fire tries them,
they increase in value as members of the local church and become REAL
gems!
Zech. 13:9
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them
as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call
on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
The second builder uses materials that cannot stand the heat; the cheap,
shabby things of the world such as the wood, hay and stubble mentioned.
This is the Christian worker who is in a hurry to build a name for himself
and seeks the praise of men, but does not contribute to building the local
church as a body. Churches are loaded with semi-precious stones such as
these individuals who display themselves as something they are not. However,
when tested by the fire, they are quickly disintegrated at the slightest
increase in temperature and are of little use to the body of Christ. Their
real worth has then been revealed just as it was with Satan…
Ezekiel 28:13-19, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious
stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl,
the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle,
and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared
in thee in the day that thou wast created. [14] Thou art the anointed
cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones
of fire. [15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee. [16] By the multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou
hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain
of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of
the stones of fire. [17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty,
thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast
thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold
thee. [18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine
iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth
a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring
thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”
In closing, it is a serious thing to be part of building God’s temple.
As you gain Christian maturity and develop within yourself the ability
to better reflect the light of Christ, be careful that your heart does
not become corrupted by reason of your brightness! Your work will come
down... Our God is interested in building lasting quality and beauty into
His local church. Allow the furnace of affliction to refine you as He
intends...
Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in
the furnace of affliction.
When the heat is on, we must dig deeper into the scriptures and mine out
the precious stones of truth... The work will never go deeper than we
have gone ourselves! We end up tearing down our own lives if we fail to
build into our church body values that will last. Strength and beauty
should be two of our most spectacular features. I hope you aren’t one
of those who will go up in smoke when trials come! In preparation for
heaven, I hope you will seek to be a REAL gem!
Rev. 21:9-11
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither,
I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. [10] And he carried me away
in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, [11] Having the
glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello
