You’re a Jewel! (#73 of 365+)

I’m frequently amazed at how much imagery God has left in this world to teach people about him.

Imagine if today a large cathedral was built, stone upon stone,
without the sound of modern machinery. That is what was accomplished with King Solomon’s temple. “In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built” (1 Kings 6:7). But why did it need to be built that way? Because God didn’t want the work (the blood, sweat, and tears) of building to be associated with the temple. Blood, sweat, and tears were for the quarry where the stones were being prepared. Once the stones were ready, they would be transported to the temple site.

Joni said it was similar to “the way God ‘dresses’ us, fitting us for heaven… We are being mined in the quarry of earth, a place of noise, chiseling, and clouds of dust. God [shapes us to] fit perfectly into heaven’s landscape…” The apostle Peter said that we, “like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

Between 600 – 500 B.C. a prophet foretold both the first and second coming of Christ. Afterwards, he said, God will blow the trumpet and have the final victory. “The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown (Zechariah 9:16). While we endure the scraping, hammering, and chiseling here on earth let’s not forget about our glorious future with him!

“He will wipe every tear… There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4)

“It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11)

Lord God, chisel away my rough earthly edges until I’m a jewel that shines with your glory. Amen.