John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
The cut of a diamond determines the diamond’s brilliance. Diamond cut refers to the style or designs used to shape and polish the diamond. The best diamond cut is perfectly proportioned, symmetrical and beautifully polished so that the highest amount of light can enter and reflect out of the stone. A poorly cut diamond can be less luminous. A diamond with a higher cut grade is more expensive than a diamond of a lower cut grade. The four Cs ‘cut, clarity, carat and colour’ makes diamonds the most valuable and expensive stones.
Our Christian walk is not a bed of roses. There will be cutting, severing and pruning. The sharp knife of the Lord will sever the unnecessary growth of selfishness and egotism. The cutting is not to hurt us but to make us more prolific. Metaphorically and literally we have to be cut and pruned to become fruitful. His knife will chip away the unwanted growth of fear, doubt and envy. The sharp blade will polish the thoughts of pride, perversion and paucity. Denials, disappointments and disloyalty are divine diamond cuts that enhance our brilliance.
Cutting, shaving, polishing and shaping of our inner man is inevitable to turn a diamond in the dirt into a 4-C Diamond.
4-C Diamond:
1. Cut: Diamond clarity is measured by the service flaws that could occur in the cutting process of a diamond. An ideal cut is called the “princess cut” to perfect proportions and angles. Similarly, the Lord uses the different circumstances and people to give us an ideal princess cut to shine the brilliance of godliness, holiness and humility.
2. Carat: The carat of a diamond is the weight of the gem. Christ-likeness in you and me will determine our carat. The more and more we think, speak and respond like Christ the higher our grade of soul will become. Our character is the measure of our spiritual carat.
3. Colour: Colored diamonds contain interstitial impurities or structural defects that cause the coloration. Likewise, the more transparent we are, the brighter will be our brilliance and value. Pure diamonds are perfectly transparent and colorless. Be an open book, perfectly transparent with no hidden agendas, habits or intentions and become a pure diamond radiating the love of Christ.
The Lord God, our Gardener and our Gem Cutter is in the process of shaping us into a 4-C Diamond through the process of cutting, pruning and shaping our spiritual man.
Hebrews 12:10-11 God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Prayer: Father God, give me the humility to submit to the cutting, shaping and pruning in order to become a precious 4-C diamond that glitters the brilliance of your love and compassion to the world. Amen
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