When I turned 50 my husband bought me a beautiful diamond ring. He is a very particular shopper, and decided this gem stone must have the best clarity and color available. How it sparkled as I held in the light and admired this special gift! I bought an electronic jewelry cleaner and thought I would immerse the ring daily, so the shine would always be present for me to admire and enjoy. The months passed, and I became less faithful in my commitment to do this.

Yesterday I did a variety of jobs in the kitchen as well as the yard before I noticed the dismal appearance of my ring. There was a film over the top of the stone that made it look dull and depleted its sparkle. I wiped it off with my finger, but that did not restore the beauty. There were particles of dirt or crud imbedded in the setting which I couldn’t remove without a professional cleaning.

We are like this gemstone, you know. We are very beautiful, and can shine a wonderful radiant glow when we are clean and sparkling. Eventually, however, the dirt and grime deep within us shows through, and our dullness is obvious. Sin is what robs us of luster and shine, and it is deeply imbedded into the core of our being. We can “shine ourselves up ” doing good deeds or attending “religious “events, just as I cleaned my ring with the electronic cleaner. These methods only give a temporary glow to our lives, and each person on earth needs a deep down cleaning by a professional. Jesus is the master jeweler and he knew how to clean us once and for all. He shed his blood at Calvary so that we would forever be clean and forgiven of the sins we commit. It is our responsibility to go to him and ask him to do this, just as I had to go to the professional jeweler.

Would you like to sparkle like a perfect diamond? To shine from the inside to the outside? The radiance of Jesus is ready and waiting to fill you. Just go to Him in prayer, confessing your sins and asking Him to fill your heart with His abiding love. He will do this for you- it’s a promise He has given mankind, and I am thankful for it!

Contributed by Marion Smith. Noles65@aol.com