The Wonderful Way God Polishes Us to Shine

I have a glass bowl on my desk at home with some of my favorite polished beach rocks. I searched and picked each of these rocks out from among the millions available to me along the Oregon coast. I looked for unique colors and shapes and what I imagined it would look like once I was finished putting it through the steps in my rock tumbler.

When polishing rocks, it saves time to start with those that are already mostly smooth and devoid of deep pits or cracks. That’s what makes the Oregon coast a great place to search.

The rough is what polishes

Perhaps it’s all those large boulders sticking up through the water coupled with the storms at sea providing high energy waves. Maybe it has something to do with the geological formations deep under water. It’s probably a combination of many things.

All I know is that there are a plethora of rocks constantly rubbing together with sand, smoothing out the rough edges. When it comes to rocks, the rougher the water, the smoother the stone.

You rarely find such rocks in calm water.

The rocks remind me to keep going

I have repeatedly reached into this bowl and marveled at the beauty I held in my hand. I have reflected back on the process it takes to finally get them to this stage. More so recently, because I’ve had a few really hard weeks.

Actually, I take that back. Its been more like a few really hard months.

It all started when I prayed for greater kindness and faith.

The hardness doesn’t surprise me; I have learned from experience that there is no better way to increase ones capacity than choosing to be your best self under pressure. I expected the many opportunities I have been given to smooth the rough edges of character and shine a bit more with inner Light.

I guess I just forgot that getting closer to being in the world, but not of the world, does not happen painlessly.

It’s all a matter of trust

As with the rocks in my tumbler, each step in the process needs sufficient time to get specific results. It would take years instead of weeks if I constantly turned off the machine and let the rocks just sit in the barrel.

So I must continue to allow the Master Geologist to make of my form and substance something more refined, knowing that He is already holding me in His hand and seeing the end result.