Hi Friends!
It’s week 2 of the Diamonds from Difficulties series…Let’s Go!
Color is the second most significant factor in determining the value of diamonds. (Check out last week’s blog to find out the number one factor.) White diamonds are evaluated for brilliance. The less color that is present, the higher the brilliance, and the greater the value. Colored diamonds are graded for color intensity. The more distinct the shade, the greater the value.
But friends, here’s the thing. Color value is not something that you can eyeball or assess casually. There is an established standard for evaluating diamond color.
And friends, here’s the other thing. Not just any jeweler or diamond broker is qualified to evaluate diamond color.
In order to assign an accurate value, diamonds are not compared to other stones in the general population. They are only compared to masterstones, that serve as the standard for all other diamonds. This comparison can only be done by an expert evaluator, who has the knowledge, experience, and credentials to assign a value.
How do you see yourself? Who do you think you are?
What value have you assigned to your brilliance and intensity?
What’s your standard?
The truth is there is only one standard, and that is God. He is the master stone and the expert evaluator. And He is not waiting for an opportunity to tell you all the ways you don’t measure up. It’s quite the contrary. He is always affirming your value, the worth that intrinsically exists in you because of who our Father is, what He put in you, and the worth that He assigned to you before you knew you. And could it be, you still don’t know you, at least not fully?
There was a me that I didn’t know, a me I was resisting becoming. I would catch glimpses of her when I would have urges to do things there were against what I thought was my nature. For example, at times I would feel the urge to offer my point of view or direct a situation that was in danger of going off the rails. I would fight the urge and say things like, “It’s really not my business,” “I don’t want them to think I’m trying to take over,” or “I don’t want them to think I’m trying to tell them what to do”. But the truth is, God had given me insight not only into the problem, but the solution, and my voice and leadership were needed. Those moments were designed for me to speak up and intervene.
These were difficult and uncomfortable seasons of stretching and self-discovery. They were seasons where I had to learn to lean into these attributes that I had assigned a low-value to. But the Expert Evaluator was teaching me to use His standards, not my own.
Now let me address the elephant in the blog. I know many people subscribe to the “I’m staying in my lane” philosophy. I respect and appreciate lanes as much as the next person, but I have learned to honor and yield to my God-given make-up, politely put on my turn signal, and get over into the next lane when I’m led to.
I am reminded of time when Jesus wanted to stay in His lane. He was at a wedding and the wine had run out. The moment was begging for Him to intervene. He alone had the solution. Yet Jesus didn’t want to get involved. Undeterred by Jesus’ response, Mary set the wheels in motion for what would be her son’s first public miracle. (John 2:1-11) I can’t help but think Mary was so persistent because she knew that there was no lane that was not His.
So what am I saying? Master your lane, and have the discernment to know when God wants to give you the whole road. The fact that you’ve mastered your lane is often the very thing that qualifies you to help in another.
Friends, what I know is this, like a diamond, you are multifaceted and multidimensional, and you bring a unique color to every space you occupy. You are too valuable to limit what God can do through you. Don’t neglect who you are- all of who you are. When you discover a new facet or a new shade of you, embrace it. Let God introduce you to your brilliance and distinction. And don’t look to other stones to measure your worth. Let the master stone be your standard.
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,