At the end of April this year, our church held a special women’s retreat called “Sparkle”. It was an amazing time to see women from different parts of the Body of Christ in Kingston come together and celebrate His light in each of us!

During the retreat we talked a lot about diamonds; finding diamonds in the rough, the refining process, the polishing process and finally, the finished product. One thing that really struck me as I studied the subject of a diamond is its ability to reflect light. Some further study on it revealed to me that a diamond does three things with light; reflection, refraction and dispersion.

1. Reflection – When light enters the surface of a diamond, a portion of it is reflected back out of the table (top).
2. Refraction – The remaining rays of light travel into the center of the diamond and bounce off its internal walls.
3. Dispersion – As light exits the diamond, dispersion causes the white light to be separated into multiple colors.

As I was pondering these facts, I felt the Lord speak to me. He said: “Notice how the diamond never produces the light, it only reflects it!”

Isn’t that just like what we are supposed to do? As believers, we cannot produce the light! We are only meant to reflect it! So many well-meaning believers try so hard to “shine the light” by trying to “produce” the light! How freeing to realize that we are only called to reflect His light, not manufacture it! As we allow Him to polish us off into “diamonds” that will sparkle for Him, we will reflect His light, His glory and His presence.

Furthermore, as we also allow His light to “refract” in us, we then allow His presence in us to “bounce off our internal walls” and shine His light in every area of our hearts and lives until every hidden or dark part in us has been touched by His glory and His light! Then, and only then, can we experience the beauty of “dispersion”; the process where “white” light will break into multiple colours that then “sparkle” out of the diamond onto everything around it. His work in us will shine forth like a testimony in multiple colours, directions and reflections! When we allow God to do His work in us, then He will shine His light through us! We don’t produce the light, so we don’t get to “keep” any of it for ourselves, we are simply called to reflect it in all its beauty! And the beautiful thing about that is that God gets all the glory! HE will be seen, not us! So, go out there, into all the world and SPARKLE like a diamond!