A gem is a gem, right? The properties of each are simple to recognize. A diamond is clear, a ruby red, and a sapphire? Only the deepest of blues will convince us that our gemstone is a true sapphire.
The Bible speaks of many types of jewels, as if the various kinds make a difference. Maybe they do. Let’s look at them and see.
In Revelation 21, we read of the description of the holy city of New Jerusalem. The walls are built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, so reflective it is like clear glass.
The next passage is where we want to pause, for the city’s foundations are adorned with every kind of jewel: jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, and more, twelve kinds in all. Let’s look at the importance of these vastly disparate gemstones decorating the city’s foundations.
Jasper:
Jasper is high-grade quartz filled with impurities. It is these impurities that give the stone its ornate patterning.
It is only when we are filled with God that we become beautiful to the world. His “impurities” are what make us perfect before him.
Sapphire:
The rarest of sapphires have fine silk-like strands that can cause their reflections to change from light to dark with a shift of viewing angle.
How like our God to be all things to all people! It is all in how we view him.
Agate:
The fire agate is one of the most mesmerizing of stones. Its iridescence comes from different layers that cause light to separate into different colors.
God is the same. He becomes beautiful to the sinner no matter how he is reflected through us.
Emerald:
There are two types of green emeralds, the true gem colored by chromium and the false stone colored by vanadium. The beauty of a true emerald is in direct relationship to its fragility. The two are intertwined.
Our relationship with God is the most beautiful part of our existence, and it is worth the care we must give it to preserve its magnificence.
Onyx:
We think of onyx as a black stone, but until it is dyed, its layers can be black and white, or even the more striking red and white. When carved correctly, one layer stands out in sharp contrast to the other, creating a vibrant effect.
When we present God to the world, he should stand out in sharp contrast to the carnal fabric of our human condition. The world will see him as beautiful.
Carnelian:
This reddish stone is one of the oldest known quartz gemstones, but it has distinct qualities that distinguish it from other types of quartz. It is translucent when held to the light, and it has superior hardness and durability.
It is Christ that gives us our carnelian qualities. Others will see him in us when we are held to the light, and we will remain strong when battered by the trials we must all face in this life.
Chrysolite:
Chrysolite is most likely the mineral olivine, known in gemology as peridot. It is composed of two minerals, and its name means “gold stone.”
When we become one with our Father in heaven, we become something precious. We become a “gold stone” in the foundation of his kingdom.
Beryl:
Only a fraction of beryl is of transparent gem quality, and is known as “precious beryl.” Many well-known types of gemstones are actually beryl, and can be identified by their distinctive crystal structure.
As children of God, we also carry distinctive qualities. Our religious affiliation is our color and cut. Our crystal structure is our belief in Jesus.
Topaz:
In its pure form, topaz is white. Yet, it can be distinguished from every other stone by its crystal structure and the fact that it glows with a distinct fluorescence.
The true Christian is topaz, for when we come to the cross, our spiritual structure is changed, and we will glow with the love of Christ.
Chrysoprase:
There are few stones rarer than chrysoprase. Actually a variety of quartz, its apple-green color comes from nickel impurities. Even under magnification, its crystals are too fine to be seen separately.
The unified body of Christ is like chrysoprase, rare, beautiful, and bonded too tightly to be told one from another. We become one in him.
Jacinth:
No longer used in gemology, the term jacinth is thought to refer to the reddish-orange zircon. It is one of the most important historical gemstones, dating to the breastplate of Aaron in the Old Testament. Zircon is the oldest mineral on earth with confirmed samples dated at 4.4 billion years old.
Finding God is like finding our jacinth. We have the original, the best, and the most important object of antiquity in our grasp. The great thing? God is as vital today as he was then.
Amethyst:
Iron and aluminum give the amethyst its brilliant purple color. The more iron we find in the mineral, the brighter purple it shines.
It is the same with us. The more of Jesus we let into our lives, the more brilliantly we shine for him.
That foundation of the New Jerusalem? The gemstones we find there represent the best that God has ever offered to mankind. When we stand in that city, we can be confident it will last for eternity. Its foundation stones tell us so.
When we become gemstones for Christ, we take on a luster the world cannot wear away.
Copyright © 2014 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.G.27.14.vp