"You may have heard the phrase,

“A diamond in the rough.” Usually, it is talking about that bad guy or girl

who has lots of potential but so many rough edges.
Some people have an eye for diamonds-in-the-rough; others dismiss them. But most people

don’t know exactly what to do with them to make their true potential
come out. They see good in there, but how do you chip away all of the hardened,

rough rock surrounding it?

God knows exactly how to make diamonds come forth. It is His specialty,

in fact. If you look at all of the people in the Bible He chose to work with for His plan,
you’ll see soon that they are a bunch of diamonds-in-the-rough. Moses, for one,

was chosen to be a speaker when he was a criminal ex-patriot with a speech
problem. David was chosen to be King, though he was the least valued in his family

and just a little shepherd. Mary was chosen to carry the King of Kings,
Jesus, though she was poor and unmarried.

Nobody thought much of these people. And maybe you feel that nobody thinks

much of you. But God does. He is drawn to diamonds-in-the-rough—those who feel
they don’t have a lot going on, who don’t have a lot of pretenses. The Bible says that God is

drawn to those who are lowly. “Though the LORD is on high, he looks
upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar” (Psalm 138:6). Maybe you feel that you

have too many issues for God. Maybe you have a rough past, or current
addictions you can’t overcome. It’s not too hard for God. Take a minute and realize how much God

loves you and know that He sees the diamond amidst your rough.
Walk through your day today knowing that God has a great plan for you and knows just

how to bring out your brilliance.

So, this week, let us pray and ask God to
Help us walk in the newness of"