Sea Glass/Smoothed Rocks

 

 

So, I was watching t.v. one night (while i couldn't sleep), and an infomercial came on. Since there wasn't anything else good on at 3 a.m. I usually just the infomercials or netflix. Now, you are probably gonna think this is weird, but it was about sea glass. I have never heard of such a thing. So, of course, i went on my ipad and searched it on google. I started reading about it, and how it's "formed" so to speak.  It is really interesting, so i will just give you a brief explanation of how its made.

Basically, people will toss their empty beer bottles, soda bottles, any type of glass bottles, etc. into the ocean. Sea glass is glass found on beaches along oceans, bays, rivers, or large lakes that has been tumbled and smoothed by the waves, water and sand, creating smooth, frosted shards of glass. 

Now, you are probaby wondering why am I talking about sea glass. The whole infomercial was talking about how much the glass had to be tossed around by the waves, weared down, and eroded before it could become "smooth, frosted shards of glass". Sea glass is some of the most beautiful glass you will ever find. People get wedding rings, necklaces, high fashion jewelry, stain glass pieces, etc, made with this cool glass. There is every color imaginable. But, for some reason, the whole process of it turning out to be beautiful, stuck with me. While I was praying one night, i couldn't help but think about the sea glass and how it applied to me.

Once upon a time, you were tossed in the waters, quite unsure of what might happen to you. Over time you washed up on shore and had to endure the crashing waves, over and over again. There were moments that you felt like giving up because the pain was just too much. Or, you wanted so desperately to get yourself back out to the open water where you didn’t have the constant pounding against you. And yet, you remained. You stood firm on the promise that you will be taken care of. “And just look at you. Refined. A woman of perseverance. A gem. You are valuable. Beautiful.

Pain and hardship are miserable. We will do almost anything to keep it away. Yet it is through pain that we are refined. We change. We grow. We are somehow strengthened. It is uncomfortable. So uncomfortable.  Hardship. While we desire to escape it, we come out stronger than we were before. This isn’t without tears or some “Why God?” moments.

So what does this have to do with beach glass? I see my life and the life of my friend as a little piece of beach glass. We aren’t always sure how we will survive different circumstances in our lives. We think we will break under the constant crashing of disappointments, hardships, and trials. But, if a piece of discarded trash can become something beautiful and valuable, I have to believe my Creator is doing much the same with me. He is refining me. Smoothing the rough edges. Softening the exterior that can cut and be dangerous. He values me and with the break of each wave, I am becoming more of who I was created to be.

Haley