Your Own Diamond Field?

There was an African farmer who was well-off and content, and he’d heard stories of other farmers who’d made millions of dollars by discovering diamond mines.  The more he thought about what he might be missing, the more disturbed he became; so he decided to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds. 

He spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent, trying to find a diamond mine.  His adventure failed.  Thus, one day, worn out, feeling discouraged, thinking he had nothing left, he threw himself into the river and gave up. 

Meanwhile, the guy who’d bought his farm, happened to be crossing the small stream on the property one day, when suddenly there was a bright flash of light from the bottom of the stream.  He bent down and picked up a fist-sized stone, and admired it.  Later he put it on his fireplace mantel, just as an interesting curiosity. 

A couple wks later, a visitor to his home, picked the rock up, examined it closely, and nearly fainted.  He asked the farmer if he knew what he’d found, and the farmer said No, he thought it was just an interesting rock from the creek out back.  The visitor informed him that he’d found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered.

Of course, the farmer could hardly believe it.  He said, “Well that creek is filled with rocks like that.  Not as big as this one, but there are plenty more.”  Later it was discovered, in an ironic twist, the land that the first farmer had sold, so that he might find a diamond mine, turned out to be one of the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent.  He’d owned it free and clear - acres of diamonds, but had sold it to look for diamonds elsewhere. 

Each of us is standing right in our own diamond field, and have no need to go hunting elsewhere for diamonds.  If you’re trusting Christ, God has blessed you. 

I Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

Ephesians 2: 10  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.