I’m a miner, a treasure finder; I dig deep for the truth.
And every gem I find within this mine confirms with proof
That God above, has greatest Love, for world and my mere soul.
And that His Word that I have heard has far more worth than gold.
These precious gems, are gifts from Him, are found in ink and pages
From the past, they still last, and will beyond the ages.
In darkest night, they sparkle bright, for faith becomes my eye,
And I can see, just what will be, and tears of joy I cry.
The mine I dig is mighty big and covers lots of ground.
The deeper I go, the more I know, with the treasure found.
This sublime Book entreats a look; it holds the greatest lode
For our soul’s health and our spirit’s wealth, within it is our abode.
Some will say to my dismay, this Mine’s an empty cave;
But I’ve heard tell of heaven and hell, from those back from the grave.
Don’t be mistook about this Book, for it tells the future as past.
Its pages sing of suffering King, before the world His crown was cast.
He knew no sin, unlike all men, the Son of God His Name;
He suffered much, in Satan’s clutch, who could comprehend His pain.
He heard the pleas of you and me, and came to bear our sin,
This Holy Christ, who gives us life, is much more than a friend.
This precious Mine, where wealth I find, the Bible is its name;
When I come out, I want to shout, for I am free from shame.
So I shall shine each gem I find, and hold it to the light,
For peace and joy it does employ, oh what a lovely sight.
And for all time, each bejeweled rhyme sings of my Savior’s grace;
And one day I will up and fly unto a heavenly place.
But for now my head will bow and thank Him when I pray;
And polish gems that come from Him, each sweet and precious day.
Tertius
Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
God understands the way to it and He alone knows where it dwells …
And He said to man, the fear of the Lord-that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.
Job 28:18-28
A note about “Polishing Gems”:
When Blanche (my favorite sister) compiled all of the rhymes on this website she titled it Polishing Gems. This was the topic of the first Bible Study we held at our house. The premise was for everyone who came to bring a Bible verse that was near and dear to them and put their own “shine” on it. I’d never thought about putting the subject to rhyme until the day I started handing out business cards advertising the site. The basic idea was that I was a miner, the Bible was the mine, and verses extracted were the jewels of great value. Of course some verses are of greater worth than others. Sometimes genealogies can go on for ages (no pun intended) with no life-changing (at least in respect to my life) information. But I think everyone would agree that John 3:16 is the ultimate, the Hope Diamond, if you will. The intention of these poems is to collect an assortment of gems, put a shine on them by putting them in poetry mode, which I hope makes for an entertaining read that has a semblance of fine jewelry that is pleasing to the eye. Does God’s Holy Word need to be upgraded for entertainment valve? Absolutely not! But if I can reveal to someone who might have gotten lost in endless genealogies (I Timothy 1:4) something of real worth that has eternal implications, it has to be good. My prayer is that the poems that follow will bring you into a closer relationship with our Creator who desires the same. I cannot force it and neither will He, but I can tell you from my own experience that His Love is like nothing the world has to offer; and will surpass, outshine, is stronger, longer and is greater than anything we presently know or can imagine. All this is available now to those who seek Him in trust and truth. Though on the outside the storm rages on, on the inside we may have perfect peace. May it be yours through Jesus, Amen.