Corona Devo 680

Coal + heat + pressure + time = diamonds

Diamonds or Coal Dust?  It is up to us.

Sometimes external pressure turns coal into diamonds. 

But sometimes pressure turns coal into coal dust.

A diamond is the strongest naturally occurring substance on earth. When cut and polished, it reflects light from every facet.  Diamonds are valuable, beautiful and highly desired. 

In contrast, coal dust dirties and blackens everything. When inhaled, it stays in the lungs forever. Long-term exposure causes black lung disease in coal miners. 

What’s true of coal is true for Christ-followers like us.

Today and throughout our whole lives we will face hard things.  Sometimes the pressures of life squeeze us so hard our souls bleed. 

Some Christ-followers become God’s diamonds, while others crumble into dust. Why?

Why does one Believer grow more Christ-like under pressure, while another Christ-follower facing the same circumstances, falls into bitterness?

It comes down to our spiritual understanding and our choices.

Two Responses

We have a lot going on in our lives.  We face many external pressures facing us in this world: Sorrow.  Death.  Depression. Anxiety.  Stress.  Worry.  Pressures and expectations.  And much more–-fill in your own blank.  The path of being human will be painful at times. Life is often messy.

How do some Christ-followers face life’s difficulties with amazing faith and peace… 

While other Christ-followers turn their back on God, becoming disillusioned, bitter and defeated.

Walking on Thin Ice

Sometimes we think that because we’re God’s children He will protect us from all hurtful circumstances.

Sorry, but the Bible never says that.  

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  ~John 16:33

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  ~Matthew 16:24

Christians have been persecuted and even martyred throughout the Bible and history. In the Bible, God’s followers often suffered imprisonment, beatings and all sorts of unjust treatment. 

But unfortunately, people (we) “fall into” thinking that life with Jesus should be easy because they want it to be easy. But this false belief becomes like a thin coating of ice over a deep lake. As long as the ice supports their weight (things are going well in their lives), they’re happy Christ-followers. But when the ice cracks and plunges them into the icy water of tragedy or heartbreak—their faith shatters. They feel betrayed by God and abandoned–and they turn away, never learning to draw upon His strength for support and comfort.  They crumble into coal dust instead of allowing the pressure to transform their faith into diamonds.

We will have suffering.  Everyone does.  

Let’s make that “pressure” on our “coal” count as we allow it to “transform” us into becoming more like Jesus and as we transition to become like diamonds living and shining for Him. 

More than anything, we want our trials to cause “transition” in us, causing us to become one of God’s diamonds: tough, resilient followers-of-Him sparkling with His reflection.

Becoming one of God’s Diamonds

Christ-followers who are being formed into diamonds share some key characteristics.  Our pressure comes through our trials and suffering. Usually, it isn’t the good times when we turn to- and fully rely on God. 

Our trials and sufferings are when we need God the most and when we realize that we really cannot do it on our own.  We need Jesus.  And it’s in the worst times when God shows up the strongest.

God loves to provide and care for us and He comes through time and time again in our daily lives.

A great example in the Bible of someone who trusted God’s sovereignty (power and authority) over his (troubled) life was Joseph (Check out Genesis 37-50).

(4) Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

(7) But God sent me ahead of you… to save your lives by a great deliverance. (8) “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.  ~Genesis 45:4,7-8

Joseph saw (and trusted) God’s hand in every difficult thing that happened to him (and he had a lot!): slavery, imprisonment, betrayal—-but Joseph had faith that God was with him through all of it.

God is with us through what we are going through today. He will never abandon us.  (Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  ~Isaiah 41:10).

If we will remain faithful, even in the darkest places, we will be compressed into diamonds. Draw close to God in high-pressure situations. (Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  ~James 4:8)

If we are to stay strong (moving towards diamonds instead of crumbling like coal dust) under the pressures of life–we need to do-battle our feelings—and win. 

When we become afraid, overwhelmed, or intimidated, we can talk to God and declare:  “Lord, I trust You–You’ve got this.” 

When we give God the power over our thoughts and feelings, self-pity gets stomped on, and our emotions don’t dictate our actions/words/thinking.  Our minds are a battle-zone, and it’s a battle worth fighting and that we can win with Christ. 

Similar to a real diamond, God does his best work deep inside of us, far below the surface. In order to transform us into His priceless treasures, he has to transform us from the inside out.

Coal + heat + pressure + time = diamonds

Don’t miss the equal sign in the coal-into-diamonds equation, or in our pressure-into-diamonds equations.  It signifies transition.  The end of one thing and the beginning of a new thing.  The end of the questions and the beginning of the answers.  (For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?  ~Isaiah 42:19)

For us, that transformation occurs many times throughout our lives and throughout our relationship with the Lord.  Allow it to be happening today!

During times of pressure, we can mature in our relationship with Christ as we shed our “old selves” and put on our new identities in Christ.  (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  ~2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Conversion happens (our coal turns into diamonds) when we allow God to move in our lives and to transform us.  When we trust and have faith that God is at work in our lives and He will bring about positive change.  

We are God’s Diamonds…God can, AND IS transforming us!

Blessings,

sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

Excerpts and ideas from https://prayingatmidnight.com/transformation-coal-diamonds/

https://www.thefaithfulwanderer.org/journeying-on/becoming-a-diamond-of-gods