“And he said whereunto shall we liken
the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it?”
“It is like a grain of mustard seed,
which, when it is sown in the Earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the
Earth.”
“But when it is sown, it groweth up
and become greater than all the herbs, and shooteth up great branches; so that
the fowls of the air may lodge in the shadows of it.”—Mark 4:30-32 (KJV)
Trials
actually lead to growth. We must be figuratively planted, or buried, in order to grow. The mustard plant is hidden in the mustard seed. The
huge sunflower was once a tiny seed. The rare butterfly was once a humble
caterpillar. Every diamond began as a lump of coal.
Sunflower Seeds to Sunflowers
The mature
plant will be anywhere from 2 to 12 feet tall. It starts with one tiny seed. The
image above shows that a person can hold many seeds in their hands at a time.
Does the
seed grow if we set it on the sunny window sill, or on top of the grass? Umm, no; it must be buried. If it is not planted, the true essence of the seed, the “sunflower-ness”,
cannot break out.
Caterpillar to Butterfly
Caterpillars
eat, and eat, and eat….. For about a year, all they do is eat, move slowly, and
look cute (maybe). It sounds like a comfortable, but extremely monotonous,
existence. If they could talk, they’d probably say, “Leave me alone! I’m good
this way. I don’t want to stretch and hurt.”
Too bad. So sad.
Humans know better. Cumbersome caterpillars are meant to become moths and
butterflies; some of the most delicate, beautiful creatures on Earth. (Well,
some of them are gorgeous.)
The
caterpillar is only the first stage of life. He eventually creates a pupa, as
pictured above. For two weeks, the animal is shut up in what appears to be a
self-made prison.
It’s all
part of the process. The caterpillar cannot become a wondrous flying creature
without undergoing a tedious, painful transformation. Actually, physically breaking
out of the cocoon is what gives the animal the strength necessary to fly. That’s
a whole other story.
None of the
stages can be skipped. The laws of nature must be followed.
Coal to Precision-cut Diamond
Pictured
above are coal, a diamond in the rough, and a professionally-cut diamond. Does
the coal resemble the beautiful diamond at all? Not in the least, but it has
the capacity to become the diamond—in
certain circumstances.
Let’s
summarize the procedure: Tremendous heat and pressure changes coal that has
been buried deep in the earth for millions of years. Diamonds, the most
precious gemstone on earth, start to form.
That’s the beginning. A gemologist will then prepare the rough diamond
to be used as jewelry.
My Conclusion
There is
amazing potential in some of the most common elements, flora, and fauna of
Earth. Nature can teach us valuable lessons, such as this:
The true beauty of the
final product can only be unleashed through a painstaking process of
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