By T.K.
A mom friend recently lent us a book on gemstones. When we got home, my kids eagerly went through each page, exclaiming over their favorites and memorizing all the birth gemstones.
Later, we were walking, and my daughter repeated some of the information she had learned: “Sapphires melt at over 2,000 degrees Celsius. Isn’t that amazing?”
I couldn’t help myself and I immediately pounced on this “learning moment” to answer back, “You know, God designed it in a way where the more precious the stone, the hotter the temperatures, and the more pressure it can withstand.” Now, to be honest, I can’t be sure this is true, but I do know that diamonds seem to operate in this way, so I felt I was on pretty safe ground to say this. And I continued, “So it’s the same with people: the more pressure and the harder time we go through, we can choose to have that make us into better people.”
I think my mother’s heart almost burst with joy when – after a brief silence – my daughter thoughtfully mused, “Maybe God didn’t just make gemstones because they’re pretty, but to teach us lessons about life.”
In her small observation, I also could see that she – almost 11 years old – was beginning to turn towards the next phase of her life. And with it, I could see a glimmer of the person she might become.
While it made me a little sad to see her beginning to set out towards independence and discovery, I was filled with hope and joy to think that she would do so fortified by love and gratitude to God and an eye for the lessons He teaches us through “all the things of His Creation.”