Rocks

agate

 

One of the things I have learned to really enjoy while I’m on the river is rock hunting. A friend showed me what agates look like, and now I’m hooked. My family just rolls their eyes when I bring home my new treasures and tells me the shelf where I keep them is going to collapse. I admit, what to do with them all has become an issue. I recently bought a couple of large hurricane glasses hoping that they will be a good way to corral, and yet still be able to enjoy, my gems.

agate

 

I am constantly amazed how varied the rocks on the beaches are. Looking out over a gravel bar, all the rocks seem the same, but when you look closer, you see they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors – kind of like people. While most are plain and nondescript (rocks), others have intricate details, are multicolored, and are beautiful. Some have taken the form of things that used to be alive. Fossils are always fun to find, but mostly, I hunt for agates. I pick up, examine, and toss aside more rocks than I keep. Agates are the prize, but I have kept other rocks that are not agates because they are unique in some way that intrigues me.

agate

 

Agates come in many varieties, some of which I am still discovering. It takes patience and lots of time to find these jewels among the ordinary stones. There are many “look alikes” and “wanna be’s” out there. They may be covered with dirt and dust, or I might see just a small piece of one sticking up out of the sand, trying to hide. Or is it trying to be found? And then there are the ones you just walk up on that are showing the world their splendor, just waiting to be stumbled upon and rescued. A gift strategically placed.

agate

One thing is sure, when I find an agate, or what I think may be an agate, I take it to the river to wash it off and see what it looks like wet. Not only does water clean the dirt off, it also enhances its colors and reveals details that may have been hidden before. If I wasn’t sure before, the water will usually tell me if what I have in my hand is an agate or not. Another test I sometimes use is the light test. Some of the more translucent ones let the sunlight come through displaying their inner hidden glory.

agate

 

Christ . . .cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory . . . Ep. 5:25-27

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive. . .  Jn 7: 38-39

For the God who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  Ep. 4:6

I can see a cross in the center.

Jesus takes us like He finds us, covered with dirt, cleans us up with the water of His Spirit, and then shines His light through us. Just like rocks look better wet, so we look better with the Holy Spirit flowing through our lives. He does not want to cover us up so that we are hidden, as if He were ashamed of us. He wants to shine us up so the beauty He placed there when He created us is able to be seen by others. He wants to enhance our beauty to show off His creation. His light and His water are able to do that for us. We cannot do it on our own.

What a difference when light shines through.

 

Without water vs. with water