The Olympic Games 2016 have just taken place in Brazil.  Every sportsman was there to compete for his country, with the goal of winning a medal, and above all, the gold medal.  No doubt the Apostle Paul was familiar with these games, as they were already taking place in Olympia in Greece at that time.  He uses the imagery of the games in his letters.  On one occasion he described the Christian life as a race. 

There are many stages in the preparation of a precious stone, and different instruments are used.  We have looked at the hammer, the saw and the tumbler.  A grinder may also be used to polish the stone, and then finally it is rubbed with a cloth until it has a mirror-like finish.

It takes time to prepare precious stones, and many processes are used.  The same is true in our Christian lives!  It takes time for our lives to be changed, and God uses many different ways.  One of the processes used to polish stones is the tumbler.