Hi Friends!

Let’s talk about diamonds.  As promised, today I will begin sharing how God made diamonds from the difficulties that I’ve faced.

Do you know the number one factor in determining the beauty and value of a diamond?  The cut.

Contrary to what I thought, the cut of a diamond doesn’t actually refer to its shape.  It refers to the way the diamond interacts with light.   If a diamond is cut thoughtfully, carefully, and with precision, those cuts reflect the light in a way that makes its sparkle irresistible.  

So what’s you favorite cut? Princess cut? Emerald cut?  That’s really a trick question because I’m not talking about diamonds anymore…I’m talking about the heart.  What I am learning is just as the cut determines the beauty of the diamond, it also determines the beauty of you and I.  Let me explain.

Jesus said of the Father, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].” John 15:2 Amplified

Just like every healthy head of hair needs to be trimmed, and every well-kept lawn needs to be mowed, every fruitful life needs to be pruned.  

I struggled with self-reliance for many years. People and circumstances taught me that the only person I could depend on was me.  This was a lesson that God wanted me to unlearn once and for all.  He wanted me to rely on Him, not myself.  While I had experienced levels of freedom in this area in the past,  God has had to repeatedly prune me because at times self-reliance would creep back in and sprout a twig. Over the last year God pried my hands open and showed me the peace that comes from releasing my deepest fears and biggest concerns to Him.

I would not have willingly parted with them.  I would not have said, “God, take out your sharpest shears and get after this stubborn pride and self-reliance”.  In fact, I have asked God too many times to count, “Really? Is it my turn again?  Out of all your children, no one else needs your attention right now? Me…again?

But God doesn’t wait to be invited, no good gardener does.  He knew that pride and self-reliance would choke out the fruit that could only come from trusting him completely.  So he allowed the difficult times to expose what I wouldn’t acknowledge. 

God knew a truth that I did not- diamonds that have not been cut have no shine.  They cannot and will not reflect light. So He rolled up His sleeves and got down into the dirty details of my heart and cut thoughtfully, carefully, precisely, and with just the right amount of pressure.  When the light hits those incision points, they reveal God’s handiwork and reflect His light more brightly than before.  

Not long ago, the thought of pruning made me want to run. I now see His pruning as an expression of His love, a love that I cannot refuse.

So, what’s my favorite cut?  Any and every cut that makes this diamond shine.

Friends, we will all experience pruning.  But find comfort in knowing that pressure and heat make the diamond, but the cut makes it shine.  And you were made to shine!

Join me next week for another installment of Diamonds From Difficulties.  I would love for you to become a Light Room Insider and get a first look at each post. Subscribe below and I’ll deliver them directly to your inbox.

Living In The Light,

Brandi Morris