Diamonds are formed under pressure. What begins as a lump of coal, common and unremarkable, becomes something precious and brilliant only after years of intense heat and pressure.

Spiritually speaking, the same can be said for us.

Pressure Produces Purpose

Throughout history—and throughout Scripture—God has used pressure, persecution, and hardship to bring about something beautiful and lasting.

The Early Church

In the book of Acts, persecution broke out against the early followers of Jesus. The believers who had gathered in Jerusalem were forced to scatter for their own safety.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Acts 8:1 (NIV)

But instead of lamenting their circumstances, they carried the message of Jesus wherever they went.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:4-8 (NIV)

What seemed like tragedy—the church being torn apart—became the very means by which the gospel spread to the known world. Pressure turned ordinary believers into bold messengers and produced great joy wherever they shared the messsage of Christ.

The Pilgrims and the Birth of a Nation

History gives us similar examples. The Pilgrims fled England to escape religious persecution, seeking a place where they could worship God freely. Their courage and conviction helped lay the foundation for a nation built on freedom—both religious and civil.

Out of hardship came a new beginning. Out of persecution came a principle that would shape the course of history.

The Apostle Paul

Paul’s life is another story of pressure transformed into something beautiful. His persecution opened doors that no ordinary travel could have. Arrests and trials brought him before Jewish and Roman leaders—audiences he never would have reached otherwise.

In the end, Paul’s chains became his platform. His letters, written from prison, still strengthen and encourage believers two thousand years later.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

Paul, in Philippians 1:12 (NIV)

God turned Paul’s suffering into a legacy of faith.

Pressure on a Personal Level

This isn’t just a biblical or historical pattern—it’s a personal one, too.

My Own Seasons of Pressure

A couple of times throughout my career, I’ve gotten laid off from my job. During those times, I felt the weight of supporting my family and the fear of not knowing what came next. When that happned, my father-in-law and I began going to our church’s World Prayer Center every day to pray. I remember looking out at the mountains, praying for help, and feeling a deep sense of peace even in uncertainty.

At the time, I had no idea that God was preparing better opportunities than those I had lost. But He was. And in that waiting season, He gave me something more valuable than a job—He gave me the blessing of closeness with Him. He reminded me that He is working for me even when I lose sight of that fact. He touched my heart, showing me that He is for me and He is trustworthy.

I look back on that season now, not as a dark time, but as a refining one. The pressure pushed me closer to the God who provides.

When Faith is Tested

More recently, a close friend told me about his brother and sister-in-law, who are walking through the painful reality of terminal cancer. Their faith has been shaken. Once strong in their relationship with God, they now feel abandoned.

I understand their pain. I’ve lost loved ones too—my dad just this past summer—and I’ve wrestled with those same questions: Why didn’t God intervene? Why did He allow this?

The answer I kept hearing was God’s words through His prophet Isaiah:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV)

God’s ways are often beyond our understanding. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t working. Even in pain, even in loss, He is refining our faith like gold—or like a diamond taking shape under pressure.

Faith That Shines

My daughter recently told me about a young woman in her Bible study. She and her husband left steady jobs to follow what they believed was God’s calling to a new city. By the world’s standards, they’re struggling. But by Heaven’s standards, they’re shining. Their faith and joy, even in uncertainty, are contagious.

I pray that my own faith would be as steadfast and radiant as theirs.

The Diamond in the Rough

No one asks for pressure. We don’t pray for hardship to come into our lives. But in God’s hands, those very pressures can transform us.

I don’t think God always causes the hardships in our lives (although I believe sometimes He does). But whether He caused it or not, I think He uses times like that to tap us on the shoulder and remind us that it is only in our weakness that His strength can shine through. Paul reminds us of this in a powerful way:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV)

God is not trying to crush us. He’s shaping us. Every hardship, every disappointment, every loss is a chance for Him to reveal His strength. Suffering provides Him a path to turn our pain, our struggles, our mess into something beautiful.

So if you’re feeling the pressure today, take heart. God is turning us into diamonds.