Do you wonder how anything good can come from the pandemonium we’re experiencing? First, the pandemic lockdown, then nationally publicized murders leading to country-wide protests. So much fear, so much anger. 

The previous months have left many of us feeling like rocks in a rock tumbler. After retiring, my father discovered joy in turning rocks into jewelry. The process required first choosing high-quality rough stones. Then he would place them into a tumbler filled with pebbles, grit, and water to smooth and polish them. Finally, he would set the shining stones into mountings to display their beauty. A process that was time-consuming and taxing (at least for the rocks).

We’ve spent weeks experiencing the grit of inescapable family intimacy, financial insecurity, political instability, social injustice. Too much time, togetherness, and TV. And all in a climate of fear mixed with anger. 

 The Bible promises God can bring good from everything, but how? And is the promise for everyone?

God works in all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:28, 29

Paul is neither claiming all things are good nor promising worldly happiness to all people. Nevertheless, for those who love and follow him, God uses everything to achieve his purpose. Which is? To conform us to Christ in both character and mission. 

The tumbler reveals the nature of its rocky contents. The process causes some stones to fall apart; for others, it exposes their inherent blemishes. But the hardest come out polished, ready for a nobler purpose. 

Like the rocks, we have no say about whether we’re in the tumbler. But unlike them, we have a voice in the results. If we cooperate, allowing grueling events and gritty relationships to remove our rough edges, our final shine will reflect God’s love and light in a grim world. How are you responding to the tumbler?

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