Diamonds are made from high pressure and high temperatures in the Earth’s mantle, and it takes a volcanic eruption to bring them to the surface. Sounds pretty violent, doesn’t it? And in their natural state, they’re not the pretty, shiny objects we wear on our fingers. They’re the toughest gray rock on the planet. The only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond. Once they’re dug out of the ground, cut and polished, they begin to resemble the light catching stones we call a girl’s best friend.

In the same way, we can see ourselves. Our natural state is tough, gray and unremarkable. Buried under the harsh realities of life, we huddle in, comfortable in our sameness. We want a change, but fear of the unknown stops us from trying. The diamond in us waits below the surface, and we’re unaware of the beauty inside. But God sees our light reflecting potential. He knows that underneath the hard gray exterior lies a one of a kind jewel, waiting to shine.

So when you feel the pressure of life pushing down on you, or the heat turned up past boiling point, and you feel the thrust of a volcano forcing you upward, remember the process used to make diamonds. If we choose to stay underground, we’ll continue life as a rock. But if we allow God to change us, when He’s finished we’ll resemble a diamond, reflecting His light to the world.