Shine bright like a diamond

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:4

People nowadays or even in ancient Rome put a lot of importance on outward appearance. Today's key verse addresses the "hidden person of the heart" as the source of true and incorruptible beauty. What is valuable in the eyes of the Lord? It is the spirit of gentleness and quietness. 

When I meditated on these verses, I saw a sparkling diamond. Gentleness and quietness are spiritual character traits developed over time, particularly under pressure and trials. 

Likewise, diamonds are formed by intense pressures and harsh processes, and they are not easily seen, they require drilling and extraction, and they require polishing to reveal their beauty and value. All of us are like diamonds in a rough, our outward appearance and behavior cannot reveal what we possess deep down, only our godly character and spirit fruits can.

Consequently, our true values may not be easily discovered in this world, since natural and carnal men may consider things of God foolish and may not be able to see our hidden values. Do not be discouraged or try to find value validation from the world, but let us have the mind of Christ, so we can discern spiritually and be able to see the deep values in ourselves and in others who have diamonds in our hearts. 

Cut, clarity, color, and carat are the four Cs that determine a diamond's value. As with our spiritual diamond process, we can all be sanctified and grow beautiful and weighty diamonds. 

Cut: Allow God's word to pierce and shape our hearts. Sometimes He may break us in a necessary way to allow us to reflect light brilliantly from every angle. 

Clarity: The more clear and pure our hearts are, the more God's light will shine through us. 

Color: Diamonds have different colors, which symbolizes our uniqueness, particularly our virtues and gifts that we can use to reflect God's glory. 

Carat: symbolizes the weight and steadfastness of obedience to the word and the willingness to yield that a gentle and quiet spirit gives. 

May we acknowledge our worth in God's sight and allow His word and grace to shape us into beautiful spiritual diamonds.

Blessing prayer: Blessing prayer: Help us to develop a gentle, quiet spirit that is precious to you, so that we have no fear in times of trials and pressure. In Jesus' name, Amen