THREE ANGELS PUBLISHING

“Hey … good morning Marilyn, how’s Mike?”

The bell over the shop's door tinkles as Marilyn Rust closes it behind her.

“Good, Joey ... he's sleeping ... it's raining so I thought I’d let him catch up on his rest. He’s been pushing himself lately … putting in a lot of extra hours. How about you?”

“Ah … I’m holding my own. Things are slow, but still I’m fairly busy.

“Have you finished my bracelet?”

“…got it right here.”

Reaching into his box of completed repairs, Joey retrieves a gold medic alert bracelet and hands it to Marilyn.

“Ah, just like new … what do I owe you?”

“Nothing …  just adjusted the tension in the clasp … gave it a quick buff ...  all it needed.”

“You’re sure I don’t owe you anything."

“No … it was simple ... only took a couple minutes.

"Thanks ... that's nice of you.  By the way, what are you working on?”

“A tanzanite pendant … a custom job for Christmas.”

“Tanzanite, what’s that?

A wry smile crosses Joey’s face.

“A whisper … from God….”


Hi, I’m Tony Baggz.  It’s morning here in Joey’s jewelry shop. "Mike the Russian"'s wife, Marilyn just walked in. Seems she's the first customer of the day. It’s a couple of months before Christmas and Joey is working on this year’s Christmas offerings. Business is a little slow but it’ll get busier as the days pass. His work is known throughout the city and everyone who appreciates fine jewelry has to stop by and see what the master has come up with for the holiday season.  Heck, even people who never buy jewelry can’t resist stopping by for a peek … and for the proprietor’s unique perspective on the things he sells. Joey has a penchant for finding the meaning behind the surface glitter.

Walking around behind his desk he picks up a small folded paper. Setting it on the counter, he opens it and produces a beautiful royal blue stone with a noticeable purple tone. It’s teardrop shaped and about the size of a quarter.  Looking at the gem, Marilyn’s eyes light up. I think it has definitely caught her fancy. And from the question in her eyes, I can see she wants to know more.  

Let’s listen in…


“So that’s a tanzanite.  You know, I’ve seen it in the mall but I've never paid it much attention.  What they call tanzanite there is light lilac or a pale blue color ... nothing special … but this ... this is really impressive ... I’ve never seen this.”

“Well, there are different grades and it does come in pale shades like the ones you saw … but this,” Joey says, gesturing toward the gem “…well, this is as good as it gets.”

“It’s beautiful ... why haven't I seen it before?”

“Well, first, in shades of royal blue this deep it's quite expensive ... probably out of the reach of much of the buying public. Second, it’s a 'soft' gemstone ... for a long time it was more of a collector’s stone so it wasn't actively pursued by gemstone miners. You see, it only comes from one place in Africa so it's somewhat rare, and given the lack of demand for jewelry, there just wasn't a good reason to go looking for it."
 
"Makes sense," Marilyn says, nodding in agreement.

"And, for centuries sapphire was the only deep blue gem that the public was aware of.  It took Tiffany’s in New York to popularize it back in the 70’s so it’s only been around for about forty years or so.”

“Why only forty years?  If things like amethyst and ruby and sapphire and the others have been around for centuries, how come something this beautiful hasn't been around that long too?"

Well, probably the main reason is that when it comes out of the ground, it’s a rather unappealing brown color … kinda like smoky quartz … something only worth a buck or two a carat.

Marilyn rotates the gem in the morning light. I can see by the look in her eyes she is captivated by the gem.

"So why did they finally decide to promote it?"

“Well, obviously because its beautiful.  And, as fine sapphires increased in price the jewelry trade looked for an alternative. When it was first brought to the public's attention, those who bought and sold it understood that it was to be worn gently, because it's a 'soft' gemstone ... as many collector's gemstones are.  Even now, I generally only put it in earrings and pendants ... like the one I’m making.  It doesn’t wear all that well in a ring … unless you treat it very very gently.”

“So how does it get to be this color if it’s naturally brown?”
 
“It has to be heated for a sustained period of time for the color to change to the beautiful deep blue you see.”

“So ... the 'whisper from God' ... where does that come from?”

"You know me too well ...," he says, a playful smile crossing his face.
 
Stepping beside Marilyn, he gestures to the gem in her hand.

“Think of it Marilyn.  How is this gemstone all that much different from people themselves?”

“… you tell me …”

“Well, most gemstones when they come from the ground aren’t all that impressive. They don't look anything like what you see in here. Especially gems like diamonds, amethysts,  tanzanites, aquamarines, rubies, and sapphires. They're kinda like people."

“Interesting … and that's the whisper from God?”

“Precisely ... a gem like this is a silent witness to an eternal truth."

"An eternal truth...?"

That God rarely, if ever, produces a finished product.

"How do you mean that?"

"Well, in their natural state, precious gemstones sometimes come out of the ground in nicely formed crystals, but more often they are just fragments or white or colored pebbles needing to be heated, cut or faceted ... waiting for their beauty to be brought out … to be completed … finished." 

“And you’re saying that just like the change in this stone from an ugly brown to a beautiful blue cannot happen without the efforts of man, neither can we become what we are intended to be without an effort on our part.  And that’s something that God had in mind from the beginning of time.”

“Right. And how many people are afraid of the heat and the fire of life’s trials and challenges and because of their fear they fail to live up to the possibilities and the beauty within themselves."

Again, Marilyn pauses to admire the beauty of the gem as Joey continues his thought.

“And not only ourselves, but other’s too.” 

“Others … how so?”

“Well, take children. Let to their own devices most kids would just coast and be content to put in a minimum of effort, right?”

“Right,” Marilyn says, rolling her eyes.  “… like Bobby. It was like pulling teeth to get him to do his school work … or his chores.”

Chuckling, Joey shakes his head. Bobby is Marilyn's oldest boy and he's known their kids since they were little.

“Exactly. Holding people accountable and inspiring them push themselves to be the best they can … that’s what I’m talking about.  And too many people today don’t recognize that … they shirk their responsibility in the name of 'giving others their space,' 'minding their own business,' 'letting them find their own way' … or some such nonsense.”

Looking again at the gemstone in her hand, Marilyn smiles. 

“You make a pretty persuasive point, Joey. Then again, you always do.”

Joey laughs softly to himself.

“And one other thought … how disappointed would the Creator be if man didn’t complete the beauty of this gem … didn’t finish what God Himself started and just settled for leaving it an uninspiring brown stone…?”

“… and the Creator is just as disappointed if we do the same thing?” Marilyn asks, finishing Joey’s thought.

“Exactly.”

Handing the gemstone back to Joey, Marilyn laughs softly, a sparkle in her eye.

“You know Joey; I was wondering what to put in my letter to Santa this year.  Now … I think I know …”

Joey chuckles as a impish smile crosses his face.

“…Won’t Mike be surprised …”


God loves the matter of His creation. He speaks to us in the silent witness of His creation. And Jesus certainly did. He used water, wine, bread, fish, mud, stone, sand, grain, fruit, and finally the wood of a cross to accomplish all He came to do.

Like a fine gemstone, man is designed to be finished, often by the heat and pressure of the trials and challenges of life. How many of us fail to do so? How many of us are content to remain unfinished, unwilling to expose ourselves to the pressure and heat of life that refines us and brings out our inner beauty … a beauty God intended from the beginning of time.  

Society often shouts at us in a myriad of ways that if we don’t measure up to its expectations, if we don’t adopt its moral code and walk in lockstep, shouting hosanna to what it deems to be beautiful and valuable, then we are merely ordinary ... unattractive ... of little worth.  Unless we dance to her siren song we are relegated to the margin. God speaks softly to us through his creation, telling us that, like the beauty of nature, we have tremendous beauty within. Why … because each of us is made in His image and likeness. An image we must bring out … a likeness we must finish.

….Who are you going to listen to...?

“If you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Do these words speak, not so much to a halfhearted resignation to live a halfhearted existence …

… but rather an unwillingness to become the jewel God intended us to be?

… Thinkaboutit … I’m Tony Baggz.