Louise L. Looney A huge uncut diamond was entrusted to a skilled artisan to create what is now known as the Hope diamond. The craftsman kept the rough gem for over a year, turning it over and over, to determine how to cut each facet to reflect its fire and exquisite beauty. He carefully chipped away bit by bit until he could hold and admire this gorgeous jewel shining in all its glory. People now stand in awe and amazement when they catch a glimpse of this diamond which is estimated to be worth between two and 250 million dollars.…

Beth Livingston Once every 12 weeks in our recovery group, we name what we need victory over in our lives. We write this name on a thin, small piece of paper. Then, one by one, we take a hammer and a nail and nail that piece of paper to the wooden cross in our meeting place. There is something powerful and moving that happens as we nail our problems to the cross. As I pound that nail, I understand that Jesus was nailed to the cross for that problem. He died so that I could be free. I also can’t…

Jesus Was Confident AND Humble: It’s Not a Contradiction Leon Fontaine Humility is another aspect of Jesus’s character that is often misunderstood. We often assume that to have humility, we have to think very little of ourselves. We’ve picked up the idea that thinking we’re worthless to God and others is the Christian thing to do, so we duck compliments and say things like, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” The problem is we misunderstand Romans 12:3. Although it does warn us to “not think of [ourselves] more highly than [we] ought,” it’s speaking about our ability, not our…