Allow Yourself To Be Polished

15 Sep

“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.”  ~ Daniel Defoe

Whenever I see gems, I am always amazed. I love the glitz and sparkle that they give off. I do not think that a lot of people realize or appreciate what goes into the making of a gem. First of all, you have to find the thing. There is a lot of digging and mining that goes into the finding of a potential gem. Once mined, it has to be cut and polished. If cut improperly, the gem can be ruined. If cut perfectly, every facet will show.

Our souls are like those gems. We are amazingly made in God’s immortal image and likeness. As we were created, we were placed in these fragile, mortal bodies. Like that diamond-in-the-rough, our souls are worked on by God while here on earth. We are cut and polished so that every facet of our souls can shine forth in our daily lives.

All the while that God is working on polishing us, the devil works on finding those faults. He tries to strike the soul in such a fashion as to break us. He employs every tool in his arsenal to weaken and fracture us.

God gives us the grace that we need to resist the wiles and temptations of the devil. He gives us the grace that we need to shine forth in lustrous beauty. Every time we help someone in need, we are polished. Every time we give of ourselves in order to benefit another, we are polished. Every time we make someone else a priority, we are polished.

Think of some of the great saints that we admire. We do not admire them because of their earthiness. We do not admire them because they were sinners. We admire them because they rose above their sinfulness, allowed themselves to be polished by controversy, brutality, and whatever else the world could throw at them. In the end, they were shining examples of God’s love that could not be ignored.

Are you unhappy with your life? Do you think that you have had to endure more than others you know? Perhaps that is true. Perhaps it is true because God is polishing you up in order to allow you to be a shining example for others. Do not focus on your unhappiness or your failures. Focus, rather, upon the love and promise of God. He will not leave you alone. He will give you what you need to overcome your obstacles. Trust in Him.

We are rough diamonds. We are saints-in-the-making. That necessitates a bit of chipping away and a bit of polishing. It is not what we endure that matters but what we become. Let God have at us so that we can shine brilliantly not only here but in the age to come.

FAITH ACTION:  Be thankful to God for what He is doing in your life and ask Him for the courage that you need as He completes His work on you.