God’s Jewels (Part 1)

Mr. Billings opened the door to his shop and stood aside to let his Sunday school class through. "Welcome to my shop!" he said. "As you know, I'm a lapidary--a gem cutter. Look around and see which gems you like best." The kids walked into a glittering world of sparkling jewels in lit cases. Bright instruments gleamed from their places on a work table in the back."Wow! Look at all this cool stuff!" said Bo. The kids looked around for several minutes, pointing out the gems they liked best.After a while, Mr. Billings called them over. "Kids, did you know that God refers to those who trust in Him as His jewels? If you're a Christian, you're one of them--one of His special treasures!""If I'm a jewel, I'd like to be like one of those," said Annaleigh, pointing to a sparkling, clear gem set in a ring."Not me." Bo pointed to a ring with a bigger stone. "I think this one's the best."Mr. Billings took out both rings. "One of these is a real diamond, and the other is a cubic zirconium--a fake. Can you tell which is which?"The kids examined the stones carefully, but they couldn't see any difference. Mr. Billings picked up Bo's choice. "This is the fake," he said. "It's not surprising that both of these look real to you, but I can easily tell the difference because I know jewels." He put the rings back into the case while the children whispered in surprise to each other.When the kids turned their attention back to Mr. Billings, he said, "You know, God knows people even better than I know these jewels. The Bible tells us that while we see only the outside of a person, God sees the heart. He knows which people are truly His--those who know Jesus as their Savior--and which people only look like they're Christians on the outside. One day, God is going to gather all His jewels and take them to be with Him forever. If you're not sure whether you're one of God's jewels, I'd like to talk with you about what Jesus has done so you can know you're His jewel too." –Mary Rose Pearson