Troubles | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jan 27, 1876

Troubles.

Some good Christians have a great deal of trouble in this world. The reason of it is, that God is preparing them for very great happiness in heaven.

While in the city of Amsterdam, Holland, I was very much interested in a visit we made to a place there, famous for polishing diamonds. We saw them as they were engaged in this work. When a diamond is first found, it has a rough, dark outside, and looks just like a common pebble. The outside must be ground off, and the diamond polished before it is fit for use. It takes a long time to do this, and it is very hard work. The diamond has to be fixed very firmly in the end of a piece of hard wood or metal. Then it is held close to the surface of a large metal wheel, which is kept going round. Fine diamond dust is put on this wheel, because nothing else is hard enough to polish the diamond. And this work is kept up for days, and weeks, and months, and sometimes for several years, before it is finished. And if a diamond is intended to be used in the crown of a king, then longer time and greater pains are spent upon it, so as to make it look as brilliant and beautiful as can be.

Now Jesus calls his people his jewels. He intends them to shine like jewels in the crown he will wear in heaven. To fit them for this, they must be polished.

And God makes use of the troubles he sends on his people in this world, to polish his jewels. And when we get to heaven and see how beautiful they look, we shall see that it was indeed good for them that they were troubled. It has fitted them for greater happiness there.— Christian World.