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I work with stone settings almost daily at The Karat Patch in Big Spring, Texas. Stone settings come in an array of different metals, sizes, shapes, heights, and weights and are made to fit stones of all types and of every value. In my 27 year career I have set some very expensive stones, some valued at over $100,000.00 that went into the same type of setting in which stones costing $10.00 could go. But no matter what the value of the stone, the setting must hold that stone securely so that it will not be lost. Folks who have spent a lot of money for their stone can be especially particular about the setting in which it will be placed. Security is not the only criteria about which they are concerned but it is certainly the most important. Every setting has some kind of finger-like posts (called prongs) that are prepared and then bent over the top edge of the stone to hold that stone in place once it is in the setting. Generally speaking, once the stone is in the setting and secured, there's not much to worry about.
Often times the experience I have is that of a customer who comes in having lost a precious gem from a setting, and then having found it. Their thrill and exuberance in finding that which was lost is apparent as soon as they walk in the door. With the precious stone found, they can purchase a new setting, one that is safe and secure.
Sometimes when I am setting stones and making sure that they're secure, I think about how much the hand of Jesus Christ is like that stone setting and how we are like that precious stone. In Luke 19:10 Jesus says "the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost".
The 'what was lost' is me and you.
We've been lost out of our original setting. Our original setting was with God, in complete communion, in a beautiful garden. Then sin caused us to fall away from that relationship. We are precious gems that need a new setting. Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. He chose to look for us because we are precious and valuable to Him. And once found, He chose to save us, and secure us precious gems by purchasing a new setting for us with His blood...a very high price indeed. And then Jesus puts us in the palm of His nail-scarred hand, bends His fingers in over us and holds us there securely (John 6:39) until He raises us up on the last day. The security of this new setting will know no end for those who put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ.
Secure settings are good for precious gems of all kinds. And there's no setting more secure than the hand of Jesus.
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One of the things I have to manage in my jewelry business at The Karat Patch is security. I must provide security not only for all the jewelry in the store, but also for any jewelry that people may have left for repair. I provide that security whether the store is closed or open, i.e. 24/7. I have found (especially lately) that people are more inquisitive about whether or not we provide such security. My guess is that in these uncertain times, when everyone seems to have lost something...money in a 401K, their job, their car, what-have-you...that the thing they have lost most is their trust. They can't trust their investments, they can't trust in the job security of their company and so on. So I understand when people are a bit more curious about the security of their jewelry...they don't want to lose that too. The trouble is, I can't really tell them or show them just how secure things are without compromising that security in one form or another. The best I can do is to look them in the eye and say "your things are secure" with the full confidence that I have told them the truth. After a customer visits enough times, and my truth is proven, then trust is achieved. Time + Truth = Trust.
Time + Truth = Trust. I thought about that little formula and how it applies to the occasion of a person accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. Some people can hear the Gospel once and believe. Other people need to hear it many times. It’s been said that most folks hear the Gospel an average of seven times before they accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
Sometimes we are sowers and sometimes we are reapers. I might be the sower that presents the Gospel to someone six times and they don’t believe, but you present it that seventh time and they do believe. I sowed – you reaped. Some folks just need to hear the same truth several (or more) times before they trust what they have been told. Time + Truth = Trust.
But whether we sow or reap, we both work for the same master. When the harvest comes everyone rejoices…the sower, the reaper, and the master (John 4:36). One thing is certain; there must be trust. When we sow, we must trust that the seed is good and will bring forth fruit (Isaiah 55:11). When we reap we must trust that the master will keep the harvest secure (John 17:12). And the master must trust that we will do this work for Him to which we have been commissioned (Matthew 28:19-20).
Time + Truth = Trust. Trust then produces security, and security produces peace. And there’s nothing like being at peace.
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