April 21 Home Communicator – Let’s talk about diamonds. It’s hard to resist the simple beauty of these brilliant, sparkling gemstones. Diamonds, however, don’t start out being gorgeous. The process actually takes a very long time. A chunk of black carbon, nearly one hundred miles below the surface of the earth, needs to endure blistering heat and tremendous amounts of pressure in order to incredibly transform into a diamond that can be cut and shaped into a singularly beautiful creation.
With that bit of information in mind, I have a few questions for you. Do these days seem to be taking a very long time for some of you? Without our normal schedules and activities, it can feel like the days are stretching on and on right now. The uncertainty makes us wonder just how long this way of life will continue. Are you feeling the heat? Perhaps not literal heat (it’s hard to feel that when it’s snowing), but how about that feeling you get when you’re in an extremely uncomfortable situation? Are you under a tremendous amount of pressure right now? Are you working more than normal as an essential worker? Are you facing financial struggles because of loss of work? Are you feeling the weight of worry about a loved one who is sick? Are you feeling the pressure of helping your children keep up with schoolwork and knowing what to do with your kids every day? I can imagine we are all feeling at least some of these things.
I can’t help but think of the lyrics of the song Diamonds by Hawk Nelson. I hope you’ll take a moment to look it up and listen to it. These words continue to pop into my head lately:
Oh the joy of the Lord
It will be my strength
When the pressure is on
He’s making diamonds
(CCLI 1597619 © Forest for the Trees Music, written by Jason Ingram,
Jonathan Steingard, Matt Bronleeve)
Friends, the pressure is on. God is shaping us and changing us through this time, heat, and pressure. He is transforming us into something strong and beautiful.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Trusting in Him,
Tricia Kiepert, Elementary Principal
