March 23, 2018 - James 1:12

This morning we are
talking about Perserverance, or what I like to call: “Grace Under Pressure”. In
my mind i like to compare it to the way diamonds are created. The name diamond
is derived from the ancient Greek word (adámas), means "proper",
"unalterable", "unbreakable", "untamed", from ἀ-
(a-), "un-" + δαμάω (damáō), "I overpower", "I
tame".  Diamonds are extremely rare,
with concentrations of at most parts per billion in source rock. A common
misconception is that diamonds are formed from highly compressed coal. Coal is
formed from buried prehistoric plants, and most diamonds that have been dated
are far older than the first land plants. It is possible that diamonds can form
from coal in subduction zones, but diamonds formed in this way are rare, and
the carbon source is more likely carbonate rocks and organic carbon in
sediments, rather than coal. I still like the concept of coal because it rhymes
better in Randy Travis’s song better than “I’m just and old chunk of carbonate,
but I’m gonna’ be a diamond one day”. Still the fact is; a diamond is created
by extreme pressure, and that is the point I am making.  Being steadfast under trial is being heavily
pressed from above, which presses out our impurities if we are pliable in God’s
Hands. If we are not bent toward pliability to God, the devil will press out
our impurities, and spew them all over our family, friends, and neighbors. He
does battle against flesh and blood, and may I say, continuously! The trial or
testing is our human response to the pressure being applied. Its point is to
show us our weakness, so that we may work with God on that issue, and bring us
further into conformity of God’s Son.