He’s making diamonds out of dust
Making diamonds out of us
— “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson

Every Ash Wednesday we are told that we are dust and we shall return to dust. It is a stark reminder that we are all sinners and what we will have to pay, at least for a time, for our sins. Our souls will be separated from our bodies; and while our souls wait for the end of time, our human remains return to dust.

I do enjoy the song “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson and the message seems rather appropriate for Lent. We can look at this season as a time to eat fish on Fridays and not to eat in between meals, or we can look at it as an opportunity for God to transform us. If our bodies are dust, then I hope my soul will become like a diamond for God: shining in His glory, reflecting His rays of grace and mercy and transforming His light into the various colors of the rainbow.

Diamonds are formed by heat and pressure. Lent gives us the opportunity to apply some pressure to ourselves. For some, this pressure it just remembering what day it is and when we need to fast and abstain from meat. For others it means taking on additional challenges like reading the scriptures or going to daily Mass. In the beginning we welcome the challenge. But the six or so weeks of Lent can seem to drag on. We end up looking forward to Easter, not so much as to celebrate our risen Lord, but as a relief from our extra efforts. However, if we can remember that little by little our soul is being made into a beautiful jewel, perhaps we can welcome the heat and pressure of our Lenten activities.