I’m sure when you read the title of this story, you thought of the hymn “When He cometh, when He cometh, to make up His jewels.” And that is just what I am thinking about, for I have just seen some of the finest and biggest jewels in the world, Shall I tell you about them?
Perhaps you know where these beautiful bright stones come from. Away down under the earth brave miners shovel and tunnel and dig for treasure. Sometimes it is for coal, and sometimes for lead, and sometimes for gold. But I suppose the most exciting of them all is to hunt for diamonds, Diamonds are brilliant and clear, rubies are deep red, and emeralds are cool dark green. And it is these beautiful stones, and others just as beautiful, that are called jewels. If you come with me to the big city of London, in England, I will take you to see wonderful jewels.
First we must find the Tower of London, and then we shall find a guide, wearing a very strange uniform. He is called a “Beefeater.” He takes us through the strange and interesting room and buildings of this old Tower, and finally offers to show us the “Crown Jewels.” What a thrill it will be when He leads us up an old stone staircase, and we enter a large round room, and there, right in front of us are the most wonderful jewels that are to be found in the world. Of course they are kept behind thick glass so that we can’t touch them, and there are guards watching them all the time. But what a wonderful sight it is. There are beautiful crowns sparkling with hundreds of diamonds. One big crown actually has hundreds of diamonds gleaming from all sides! Gold and jewels are to be seen all around the strange room, but soon we must turn away, and leave them all behind, for they don’t belong to us. But as we slowly go back down the stairs, it makes me think of some of God’s precious jewels.
Brave miners had to risk their lives, and indeed some of them lost their lives, in bringing these precious jewels up from the darkness of the earth. They could never come up themselves, could they! Just so, you and I could never rescue ourselves from the darkness of sin in which God saw us. He tells us in Ephesians, chapter two, that we were “dead in sins,” But God didn’t leave us there, for He loved us and wanted us for His own precious jewels. He sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, down into the darkness of this poor world to pick us up and cleanse us from all our sins, and to make us jewels for Himself. Has He picked you up and cleansed you from your sins? He came down here to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)), and He found and saved many boys and girls from many lands. If you are not saved, why not turn to Him right now? For although you cannot see Him, He is waiting right by you as you read this paper, and wants to make you His own, After the jewels were brought up and out of the dark mine, they were cut and polished and brought to the King, and he was delighted with them. Now they are called the “Crown Jewels.” And so it is the delight of the heart of God to save boys and girls and men and women, and then call them His very own jewels! Isn’t that wonderful? Listen to what He tells us.
“Little children, little children,
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
Like the stars of the morning,
His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in His beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.”
ML 02/08/1953