Every summer our family spends a few days at my parent’s beach house on the Hood Canal. One of our favorite past-times on the Canal is beach combing. We usually each pick a different treasure to hunt—bleached white oyster shells, wishing rocks, or sea glass. I love sea glass, with its iridescent hues of blues and greens. The best pieces have smooth, rounded edges and their color is clouded from years of wear, yet they still reflect light beautifully.

But treasuring beach glass seems ironic. Its trash. I wouldn’t pick up a piece of broken glass on the street, but I can’t resist if it’s on the beach!

As we have searched and carefully added piece after piece to our growing collection, I am reminded of how God values us. We are much like treasured pieces of sea glass.

At times, you may feel like fragile glass, tossed and worn down in the rough waters. You wash up on an unknown shore, and endure the crashing waves, over and over again. You may have moments that you feel will break you. Or moments you want to get back out to the open water to avoid it all. And yet, God keeps you there for a purpose; to turn you into a treasured gem, beautiful, refined, something of value, that reflects the light beautifully.

We aren’t always sure how we will endure the circumstances in our lives. But I am reminded with each piece in our collection, that a shard of discarded trash can become something beautiful and valuable. 

God does the same with us. He refines us. Smooths down the rough edges that can bring harm. He values us and with each wave of life, His grace allows us to become more of who He created us to be.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

~ James 1:2-4