Gem Mining Part Two

 

On Monday, I wrote about an unpleasant gem mining experience that I had last week.

 

What I didn’t write was that I went gem mining a second time and had a much better experience.

 

During the first gem mining experience, I gashed my leg open. I was worried about my leg for the entirety of the experience and to make matters worse, I barely found any gems. I’d paid for the Quartz Bucket,, but all I kept sifting through was clay-dirt, and it was messy…and discouraging…until the bottom of the bucket when a few large gems appeared.

 

So I decided to give it another shot on my way home. That time, I paid for the Super Bucket. It was actually less expensive than the Quartz Bucket because it was filled with rocks of lesser value, but man was it satisfying! I found gems in every scoop and had to get three Ziploc bags to hold all of my treasures!

 

I was excited about the possibility of going home and getting out my tumbler. I knew that the gems would polish well, and then…well…that’s the thing. What would I do with them next? I had no idea.

 

And this is when I realized something: Unless you are a crafts-person searching for raw materials, gem mining is about instant gratification. It’s about the thrill of finding something pretty and claiming it as your own.

 

I actually shared this realization with three different people at the gem mine. They wanted to know which bucket to get for their children, so I suggested the Super Bucket. I told them that the rocks in the Super Bucket were not worth much but that they would find lots of rocks in every scoop. And isn’t that what children want?

 

And, truthfully, isn’t that what I wanted, too?

 

Yes. I was discouraged about my leg during the first gem mining experience. But if I’m honest, I was more discouraged that I wasn’t finding lots of pretty things. I’d paid my money. I thought that I was entitled to lots of rocks. Truthfully, I probably got my money’s worth out of the first bucket. I found pieces large enough to get cut and polished if I so chose. And yet, I was pouty because I didn’t find “more.”

 

Then, the second time, I found “more,” and I was thrilled! The rocks weren’t big and nice, yet they provided the instant gratification that I didn’t know I needed…and so I walked away a much happier gem-miner.

 

I’m not sure what to make of this realization. Is it good or bad? Is it right or wrong? Is it somewhere in between?

 

God: Forgive us when we just want more. But thank you for the joy that we feel when we find pretty things. Amen.