Worth Far More than Rubies

I woke up the other morning, joyfully, at 5:50am after only maybe…four hours of sleep…with a sunbeam in my eye (a rare and delightful treat) and a note tucked into my heart,

“You’re worth far more than rubies…”

Usually…four hours of sleep would not normally a joyful girl make. But this particular morning…this morning…the sun shined differently in my world.

As I was driving in to work, I pondered the worth of rubies… What makes a ruby so valuable? In our modern culture there’s a high value placed on diamonds, but in the Bible, diamonds are only mentioned a few times, generally grouped together with other fine gems, and also as an etching device, interestingly enough, for the stone tablet of Judah’s heart  (Jer 17:1). But they never stand alone as a determiner of worth.

Rubies, however, are mentioned several times…

The price of wisdom is far above rubies. Job 28:18

Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies. Prov 20:15

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Prov 31:10

How valuable are rubies, if they’re used as the scale?

Rubies are red. As I scan the web pages of information to learn more about rubies, He whispers again… ”Red is the color of my Love (1 Cor 13:4-8) (Psalm 103:17).” I catch my breath at the thought… Oh, what a rare treasure this kind of love; it is rich…and never fails.

As I read on, it seems the more crimson the color, the more valuable it is. The deeper the color of love, the more value is contained. Was there a love offering more valuable than the shedding of the color red, from a Son…for ME? The more saturated with blood color the more valuable this precious gem becomes…I stand in awe. The thought of losing my one singular daughter for another…I cannot comprehend. But He chose that…for me.

And as I read further in, I learn that most natural rubies have some cloudiness or imperfections inside: very few are perfectly clear. The best quality rubies are transparent, not opaque. There’s value…in transparency…

And as a method of heightening and brightening the radiance of the color of a genuine ruby, it’s placed in conditions of extreme heat…a refiner’s fire…to bring clarity and brilliance to the gem.

It’s also one of the hardest stones in the world; resistant to fracture. Could it be?… That those of us who are His, are resistant to fracture? That those who trust in the Lord, also have His strength?

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. Dan 10:18

The Sovereign LORD is my strength… Hab 3:19

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you… 2 Thes 3:3

It’s very humbling…Humble actually doesn’t seem an appropriate word to use, but I can’t seem to find the right word to use…for how this all makes me feel. As a broken girl whose not felt much worth for the greater part of her life, for the God of the Universe, to whisper such a sentiment…to ME? Am I really worth more than rubies? But…I am not anybody special. I struggle. I’m fallible. I make poor choices. I stumble and fall. I’m not anything or anyone important. I’m just a girl. Nobody asks for my autograph or takes my pictures or even wants to know my story. Who am *I*, that the Lord of all the earth, would care to notice me? I slog through the days, some days not opening my Bible and some days not noticing others; consumed with my own little world. How can it be? I don’t DO enough of anything to be worth anything!

No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. Job 28:13

For the customs of the peoples are worthless… Jer 10:3

Your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, is of great worth in God’s sight. 1Peter 3:4

Ah…that is it…the sweet spot tucked into the heart of a gentle and quiet spirit. As the ocean’s turbulence churn on the surface, it is in the depths that teem with life and the Truth that is real…value rests deep within.

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