Diamonds in the Rough

Diamonds in the Rough

Nature is full of many awe-inspiring things, from majestic mountains to carpets of flowers. There is much artistic creativity inspired by nature, but it is often of valleys, and streams. Rarely do we see the smaller pieces that make up such grand pictures. There are few people who appreciate the beauty of a single leaf, or a single drop of water. It is even rarer to find a person who finds beauty in a rock. For most people rocks are only beautiful if polished up and set in gold or silver. I am certainly no exception, however, I am often intrigued by the lower class of rocks. It takes a child, or an adult in touch with their inner child, to find the potential of the average, dirt covered rock. Through the eyes of a child, each rock takes on a personality, be it a country cousin or a snooty countess. Come through the eyes of a child and experience the beauty and majesty of a rock, from the simple stone to the classy diamond.

On our daily journeys we often pass by the humblest of rocks, those that decorate our gardens, or the ones that are simply buried in the dirt at the park. Most of us see a rock, if we see it all. These quiet stones are the lowest caste of the rock world, but they do not lack their own impressiveness. They come in all shapes and sizes, from large and smooth, to small with jagged edges. They even come in different colors and patterns, swirled greys, and pale creams, deep browns, and smooth reds. Like fingerprints, or people themselves, no rock is like any other. These rocks are a chid’s friend, another door to the imagination. Children use them to build houses for gnomes, and pretend they are people. We adults simply smile and indulge the child, never once looking beyond the rock. Yet sometimes I find myself imagining this plain grey rock’s journey. Did it form in the bowels of the earth, from molten rock? Did it work its way to the surface over centuries of time?