Under Pressure

A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.

I had a quote like this on my therapy wall for many years.  Doesn’t it sound good?  I can see people everywhere nodding their heads.  It just resonates with you and encourages you to keep going when life is pressing in on you from every side.  But…it’s not true.

See, I was going to write a blog about how life can pressure you.  I was going to tell you that we are all formed from the dust.  Then I was going to segue and let you know that the process is shaping you and refining you into a diamond.  But before I made those statements, the Holy Spirit made me study the way that diamonds are formed.  And in the process, I discovered the truth.

The first reputable source about diamond formation that I found had to be written for scientists.  Man, I was struggling!!!!  Far as I could tell, diamonds were formed in the core of the earth and shot to the surface through an eruption or something.  The only thing I knew for sure was that coal wasn’t involved.

I could have Googled “diamond formation for dummies”, but I wasn’t thinking that clearly.  The next thing that came to mind was National Geographic for Kids.  Clearly, geology is not my thing.  I figured they would have a simple explanation that would help me unlock this mystery.  So, I searched the website for information about diamond formation.  The problem is that their information was too simple.  I needed more than they offered.

Regular National Geographic was the perfect fount of information.  Diamonds are actually carbon that does well under extreme pressure and temperatures.  They are formed in the mantle of the earth and transported to the earth’s surface by kimberlite, a volcanic rock.  After the lava from an eruption cools, the diamonds can be found underneath.  Of course, you have to dig them out.

Y’all it’s not a coincidence.  My Pastor literally just told me last night that the way to have true victory is to live by God’s Word.  I have to know what the Bible says in order to live it out.  And while that’s easy to type, it’s harder to practice in day to day life.

Sometimes, the Bible is difficult to understand.  Especially if you pull out one of those hotel room Bibles.  It was written in language from another time.  Thankfully, we have translations that break it down into language that make it easier for you to digest.  I have found that the more time I spend studying the Bible, the more I want to know.

I read more than one translation of the same verse.  I start with New King James Version and work my way through several versions until I get an understanding.  It requires dedication and diligence.  It requires a hunger for wisdom.  It requires the pressure for wanting a victorious life.  We can all find diamonds, and be diamonds, if we dig deep enough.  #wepreach