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b'When you were younger, did you ever think gemstones came out of the ground perfectly cut and polished? I did. It shocked a younger me to learn that, when gems are mined, they come out looking like small, lumpy rocks\\u2014 dusted with grime and seemingly fit to be thrown away.\\nPeople are like this too. We\\u2019re covered from head to toe with the dirt and grime of sin. And, though many of us may appear clean on the outside, we\\u2019re all equally grimy deep down. From the beginning of your life, the dust of the earth covers you, and there is no going back or erasing the sin and brokenness.\\nBut there is a way forward. Jesus came to earth to save us: to turn thieves, traitors, and liars into emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. He removes us from the ground, gently picking away at the sin we are encased in. Then He cleanses us, renewing our body, soul, and mind so we can praise Him (Romans 12:1-2)! He shapes us into His children, and the journey, though slow and difficult, transforms us.\\nIn Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit, we become more precious than the largest diamond ever found. Clothed in His righteousness, we become clean in our hearts, pure in our minds, and polished from our baby toes to the tops of our unruly heads of hair\\u2014looking forward to the day when we see Christ face-to-face, when we will be completely free from sin and death.\\nIn the meantime, we rejoice that we are saved through faith in Jesus, but we shouldn\\u2019t assume our lives will be easy. As Christians, we will face persecution and other trials. When all of it seems unbearable, we always have God to turn to: He is our expert craftsman, the One who dug us out of sin and cleansed us, making us new creations in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). As you go through life, remember: you are God\\u2019s gem\\u2014immeasurably precious in His sight.\\n\\u2022 What stuck out to you about today\\u2019s reading? \\u2022 If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, He promises to complete the work of saving you from sin and death (Philippians 1:6). When you fail, how can this promise encourage you? \\u2022 Who is a trusted Christian in your life that you can talk to about what it means to know Jesus?\\nI rejoice greatly in the Lord, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nIsaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; 1 John 3:1-13'