2010-06

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A LTHOUGH it worked a commercial miracle, 'A Diamond is Forever' is only a catchphrase and not actually true. Diamonds may have formed at astonishing temperatures and pressures, and they may be the hardest substance in the universe, but they are only 'forever' if you treat them right. Diamonds are so hard that they can only be cut and shaped by other diamonds. They are, however, quite brittle and one badly aimed blow with a cutting tool can smash them to smithereens. Under certain circumstances they can actually vanish as Grand Duke Cosimo the Third found out when, in 1690s Florence, he fixed a diamond in the focus of a large burning glass. As he and his fellow experimenters watched, the stone cracked open and disappeared, leaving only a trace of ash behind. Unsurprisingly the experiment was not repeated and the mystery was only solved 100 years later in 1796 by the British scientist, Smithson Tennant. He placed a weighted diamond in a golden tube with saltpetre and by looking at what remained after heating, proved that one of the most precious objects in the world was nothing more than a form of carbon which, like coal, is combustible. Although a finished diamond is of great worth, it takes a master craftsman to see its potential. When the famous Cullinan diamond was presented to King Edward VII, he was disappointed by its ordinariness. "If I'd seen it in the road"' he remarked, "I would The Cullinan diamond have kicked it". The Cullinan was sent to Amsterdam to be cut into nine large stones, the biggest of which is set into the British royal sceptre. Some of the other Cullinan stones, or 'Granny's chips' as the Queen calls them, were set into a brooch worn by the Royals today. The places where diamonds are cut and sold are often chaotic, dark and cramped. One such place is Gabi Tolkowsky's studio in Antwerp, Belgium. Tolkowosky is one of the world's greatest diamond cutters and, when he first sees a diamond, he asks of it "What do you want to become?" He asked the same question of the Centenary, one of the largest, colourless diamonds ever found. "You cannot go quickly", he says. "If you polish a wrong facet, you can never put it back". He talks of diamonds as a teacher might of his pupils. They are gifted, problematic and challenging - but, most of all, they are individuals. When you think about it, God is St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats email: office@stchads.org Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 16 website: www.stchads.org Tel: (0114) 274 5086
a master craftsman too. The deeply flawed King David knew this when he wrote Psalm 139 - "My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before any one of them came to be" - vs.15-16. So, as with King David, God has known us a long time, faults and all, and will continue to shape and guide us towards our destiny. But I think, before He cuts too deeply, He will ask us what we want to be and will surely wait for our answer. The following verses are taken from the poem "Revelation" by Ann Lewin - (Lord) you are still creating, Bringing to life the promise that is there. Sometimes by hammer blows which jar my being, Sometimes by tender strokes, half felt, Which waken me to life. Go on, Lord. Set me free to share with you In your creative joy, To laugh with you At your delight in me, Your work of art. from: Watching for the Kingfisher So, as Tolkowsky the craftsman said of some of his more problematic 'pupils', "These are stones which people didn't want, and yet now they are the most beautiful". Sylvia Bennett CALL IN FOR A CUPPA At Church House (56 Abbey Lane) 10am to 12 noon On the last Saturday of each month. Bring & Buy (new items) Handicrafts Home Baking St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats email: office@stchads.org Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 17 website: www.stchads.org Tel: (0114) 274 5086
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2010-06

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