“Shining Like We Were Meant To”

On Second Thought

There is something breathtaking about the hidden beauty of God’s creation. Deep beneath the surface of Chihuahua, Mexico, in a sweltering cavern where temperatures soar to 136 degrees, the largest natural crystals on earth have grown in silence for centuries. One selenite crystal stretches more than 37 feet long—massive, radiant, untouched by human hands. Its brilliance remained unseen until explorers risked their lives to enter the Cave of the Crystals, braving heat and danger just to witness a beauty that had been forming in the dark.

Whenever I read about discoveries like this, something inside me stirs. There is a quiet lesson in nature’s hidden marvels: extraordinary beauty often forms where no one is watching. The most radiant things in creation do not demand attention—they are shaped by time, pressure, and the mysterious hand of God. And in a way, isn’t that what the Holy Spirit is doing within us? Forming something beautiful, something radiant, often in the unseen caves of the heart?

As we move through the Christian year and approach the seasons that call us to reflection—especially Advent—my mind turns to the visions given to John in Revelation. In Revelation 21, John beholds the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, and like any human trying to describe the indescribable, he reaches for the most brilliant image he knows: “Her light was like a most precious stone… clear as crystal.” Even the brilliance of gemstones fails to capture the radiance of God’s glory filling His people.

John isn’t simply describing architecture; he is describing us. The bride of Christ radiates with the glory of the Lord. Paul echoes the same truth in Ephesians 5:27 when he says that Christ’s desire is to present the church to Himself “glorious… holy and without blemish.” The same glory that fills the New Jerusalem is meant to shine through His people today.

Let that thought sink in for a moment—God intends for His glory to be reflected in you.

Glory That Flashes Like Crystal

John reaches for words—jasper, crystal, scintillating, flashing forth light. He uses the Greek word krustalliz, meaning “to flash like light” or “to sparkle with brilliance.” It is the same word used for the “sea of glass” and the “river of life,” giving us the picture of beauty that reflects the very nature of God.

When John says the city appears “like a jasper stone,” scholars remind us he likely wasn’t referring to the opaque stones we call jasper today. He may have been describing something more akin to chalcedony, opal, or jade—stones known for their radiant clarity and shifting colors. Whatever he saw, it captured the purity and brilliance of divine glory.

And here is the astonishing connection Scripture makes: this radiant, crystalline light is not just a picture of heaven’s architecture—it is a picture of God’s people becoming what they were always meant to be.

Isaiah 62:3 says, “You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”
Philippians 2:15 adds that we are to shine “like lights in the world,” reflecting God in a darkened generation.

The brilliance of the city is meant to mirror the brilliance of Christ shining through His church.

When Your Light Feels Dim

But for most of us, reflecting heavenly brilliance feels far removed from daily life. We know the muddy moments of frustration, the weariness of waiting, the disappointments that cloud the spirit. If we are honest, many days feel far from radiant. And maybe that is one of the reasons John struggles for words. He is describing a reality we cannot yet fully imagine—a redeemed people shining with the beauty of Christ’s character.

Yet here is the good news: the radiance does not begin then. It begins now.

A crystal becomes clear through purity of form; a diamond reveals its brilliance when light passes through it. In the same way, our spiritual clarity grows when we allow the light of Christ to penetrate the dark corners of the heart. His love purifies. His grace transforms. His presence softens what has hardened. His truth clarifies where confusion dwells.

We are not called to manufacture brilliance. We are called to receive it.

The radiance John describes is not human perfection—it is divine reflection.

Becoming the Reflection of His Glory

Think again about that cave in Mexico. Those massive crystals formed quietly, steadily, without announcement. No one stood over them cheering on their growth. They simply yielded to the conditions that shaped them.

Our spiritual life is similar. The Spirit works in hidden places, shaping Christ’s beauty in us over time. And often, the circumstances we resist—the pressures, the heat, the waiting—become the very conditions that produce clarity and strength within us. There is something deeply comforting in knowing that God is shaping glory within us even when we don’t see the progress.

Exodus 40:34–35 tells us that when God’s glory filled the tabernacle, Moses could not enter because the presence was so overwhelming. In the New Testament, that glory takes residence in us—not in a building, not in a city, but in the hearts of His people. Paul says, “We all… beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

God is forming radiant things within you.
He is shaping Christ’s character in your speech, your patience, your love, your endurance, your gentleness, your courage.
He is polishing the rough surfaces and purifying the inner life so His reflection becomes clearer.

And one day, what He began in secret will be revealed in glory.

On Second Thought…

Like this closing prayer, let this be our humble desire today:

Dear Father, shape in me the character of Jesus. Make my heart as clear as crystal, my life as radiant as Your love. Let the beauty of who You are be reflected in how I speak, how I forgive, how I endure, and how I hope. Form in me the clarity that comes from Your presence. Let Your glory shine through me today, not for my sake, but for Yours. Amen.

As we meditate on these truths, let us remember: the brilliance of the believer is not about perfection but reflection. The more His light fills us, the more clearly we shine.

Thank you for pausing to refresh your spirit today. God is forming something beautiful within you, even now.

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND IF BLESSED, REPOST

#biblicalSymbolismOfJasperAndCrystal #crystalImageryInRevelation #NewJerusalemGlory #reflectingChristSCharacter #spiritualTransformation