A Gem In The Mud

“You can’t change him” my sister said to me “I don’t want to change him” I said, knowing full well it’s impossible to change anyone anyway “I want to find him,” I said, surprised by my own words. But I quickly realized it was true. I didn’t want to change him; I didn’t want to change anyone. I wanted to find who they already were, deep inside, and pull it out for all to see. Wipe off the years of caked on mud and dirt and find the gem of a person God had created.

I have this funny way of being able to see who God created someone to be. Beneath the dirt and grime I can see the gem inside. Perhaps I will write another post going deeper into that at some point. Anyway… So there I was, thinking about how I know, deep in my heart, who this friend of mine was supposed to be. Who God had called him to be and how amazing his life will be in the future. How he was a gem, a true “diamond in the rough” if you will (yes, shameless Aladdin reference there… I’m a Disney freak what can I say?) And I realized we all are just that…

Every single one of us is a gem; hidden beneath a pile of rock, and dirt, and mud of our own creation. We have put up walls and found ways to distract ourselves from what hurts us instead of facing it and growing stronger from it. We all have those bad habits and dark pasts that build up around us, making it harder to find our true selves amidst the mud. We all have created fake personalities to feel less vulnerable. But the real us is in there somewhere. It’s a gem lost inside the mess.

So no, I don’t want to change anyone. I don’t want to change my friend. It’s impossible to truly change someone anyway. Only God can do that, and even then all he’s doing is exposing the gem he had already placed within. But I do want to help find that gem. I want to help chip away that dirt and grime, the bad habits and fake personalities, scrape away the dirt of the past and find the real gem beneath it all. Because we are all gems, just waiting to be dug out, cleaned off, and made to shine as we are meant to.