I see a rock when I look at you. Dark, rough and easily lost in the sea of sameness. With your idle body lying on the ground you watch the world pass you by from dusk to dawn. But you know what happens when immense force is put on a little old rock? It transforms into a diamond.

Nestled in a kimberlite, the rock that brought it to surface, this diamond is raw and ever so slightly, sparkling. How can it be that this precious stone withstood years of rumble and tumble, passing multiple surfaces and climates? How can it be that it is left unscathed?

Like diamonds we are resilient. We have experienced or are experiencing adversities, heartache, disappointments and dare I say it, feelings of failure. Now, like diamonds we also go through many stages of refinement. Constantly exposed to scrutiny we carefully make cuts of excess kimberlite hoping to reveal the true beauty others see. We then polish the edges to hide cracks and scars that were caused by these tumbles and blunt cuts. Others start to gaze at a sparkling new specimen that somehow perfectly fits the kind of beauty they envision. We stand amidst satisfied looks and nodding heads yet ask ourselves, “Do you see the beauty they see in you? Is it the same?” It could be but it doesn’t have to be the same.

There are pink diamonds, yellow diamonds, white diamonds, green diamonds or even chameleon diamonds. Yet despite these calculated cuts and polishes, a clarity and colour of each diamond are determined by other elements that composed its structure. Our different experiences and characteristics mimic elements like nitrogen or boron, adding a little bit of colour in our being…actually, they add life!

Even the cracks and scars we try to polish away and hide mark the grueling journey that brought us to surface. They are parts of what makes us distinct another.

Natural diamonds in the rough, we are rare, indestructible and everyday transforming.

Always,

–K