God has provided, through nature, a beautiful illustration of His grace. Long ago in a forest there once stood a mighty tree. It was the tallest and most beautiful tree in the whole forest. It provided shade and shelter for a large variety of animals.

One day the world came crashing in on the life of the tree (quite literally; an earthquake swallowed up the whole area). Now, the tree has no practical purpose and is basically worthless. To add insult to injury, conditions were just right to cause the tree to turn into coal. This mighty tree is now a dirty, messy substance, something that is undesirable to be around. To make matters worse, this tree was then put under incredible pressure. Amazingly, this destroyed tree, this filthy mess, has turned into a diamond.

The tree was designed for a specific purpose, but it could no longer function as a tree. Its original purpose and function had been completely destroyed. There was no turning back. Yet, this tree can still be useful. Even though it can no longer be used as it was intended, it now has a new function. Being a beautiful diamond, it can be used for something very special, such as a jewel on a king’s crown.

Isn’t it miraculous to see how God can take a dark filthy mess and turn it into something beautiful and valuable? What do you think He can do with the mess you’ve made in your life? If you have fallen deep into sin, God can still make your life valuable and useful. You’ll still have to live with the terrible scars of your sins, but these scars will be a living testimony of God’s love and grace. Truly where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.