God is at work in your waiting, purifying your desires by delaying their fulfillment—rubbing off the rough, self-centered, ungodly edges to expose an inner gospel-gleaming beauty. God is also developing a soul prepared to endure rougher waters. 

Smooth rocks are marvelous things. I remember a day at the seashore when one of the young boys in our group was earnestly searching among the stones. At one point he held up a specimen that had been worn down over countless years of liquid motion. The stone’s perfectly smooth, oblong shape revealed tales of innumerable bumps and scrapes against other stones and sand. As he showed it to me, still glistening from the lap of the waves, the lines and hues contained within came alive and danced in the sunlight.

The boy looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “Why are some of the stones so smooth?”

Don’t we all long for these hand-delivered teaching moments? What lessons could be drawn?

Lesson One–Edges Are Smoothed Over Time

Creation is a tutor with much to say.. Jesus looked to the birds and flowers to teach his disciples to trust the Father. Solomon counseled young men to look to the ants and learn to use time industriously. What wisdom might a rock contain?

Close your eyes, step into the river and grasp a handful of rocks. You can tell the new arrivals from those that have laid silently waiting. The new arrivals are rough with edges and sharp points. The Old Guard is smooth; time and water have worn away their rough exterior, revealing a polished, beautiful stone.

Much to our surprise and even consternation, God often treats us like stones. We have godly desires, we feel distinctly called to move in a specific direction. But then he tosses us into the waters of waiting, forcing us to tumble about—tumbling through unending seasons—before we even begin.

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