The Purity of Gold

     One of the most sought after treasures is gold. Throughout history almost every culture has used gold to symbolize power, purity and wealth. Many made the things they valued most - crowns, religious items, and coins out of the metal, and we continue to value those items today.

     Pure gold is known as 24 karat gold and is most often marked "24K". An alloy is usually added to gold because it is too soft to stand up to the stress of being worn daily as a ring or necklace. Copper, silver and palladium are a few of the alloys that may be added. If an item contains 50% of an alloy it would be marked as "12K" gold, 75% would be "18K".  Other common karat marks are "10K" and "14K", with some older jewelry marked "9K".  As the amount of gold compared to alloy used in an item goes down, so does the value. European jewelry is often marked according to parts of gold per 1000, with 18K gold being marked 750, 14K gold 585, and 10K gold 416. These purity marks can help you determine real treasure from something that is only gold plated. "All that glitters is not gold!"

   

14K yellow gold wedding band - engraved "51", this ring has stood the test of time without tarnishing! 

     As the purity of gold goes up in content so does value. In the same way, the content of our thoughts - which lead to our actions - will go up in value depending on their purity.

     "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." 

Philippians 4:8

     It is easy each day to add more and more "alloy" to our thought process. Anger, bitterness, unforgiving and judgmental thoughts creep in continually. What may have started as a "24K" attitude early in the morning can quickly become "9K" before the day is over. How do we maintain high quality in our thoughts and actions?

     Paul told the Philippians to meditate on things that were true, noble, just, pure, lovely - things of a good report, containing virtue -things that were praiseworthy. Thoughts with value. Thoughts worth thinking.

     There are a good many things in this world that are beyond our ability to change. However, through the Holy Spirit, we can stop dwelling on what makes us lose hope and remember the abundant life we have in Jesus Christ. 

  

     We can be thankful...

     We can praise God...

     We can trust that God has the very best plan for us...

     Because His Word, and the valuable instruction for life we find there, is pure "24K" gold!

The Best Place to Store Treasure!

     Just say "jewelry" and a woman's eyes light up! I recently watched a woman hover over the jewelry tables that were being set up while we waited in an estate sale line. She couldn't help herself - she would walk away, then turn around and come right back. It was if the jewelry was calling her!

     Another vintage jewelry collector recently asked me which piece of jewelry I would never part with. It was amazing how quickly a certain necklace came to my mind! And though I couldn't remember what I'd had for lunch, I could describe in great detail this favorite necklace...Art Deco...bakelite beads...mesh chain...
    Her favorite was a ring that she declared would need to be "pulled from her cold dead fingers" before she would let go of  it! Extreme, perhaps, but it demonstrates the sentimental value women place on their treasures! Marilyn Monroe called them her best friends!

      If you've ever read the account in Genesis of the search for Isaac's wife, you know jewelry was involved. After Rebekah had watered a bunch of camels, the servant sent to find Isaac a wife, realized she was the one, and put a "nose ring on her nose, and bracelets on her wrists". More "jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold" followed. Rebekah left her home to marry a stranger - and I've wondered if the jewelry might have helped (just a little) in the decision process!

     At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, you will find this beautiful Hellenistic mummy, decked out in her finest jewelry. When women want to look good, they always open their jewelry box. This woman was determined to look good for eternity!

 


     Something beautiful, something valued, something precious...

     Something we love to wear, and store in chests and boxes...

     But not eternal...

     "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

     Someday, all our beautiful trinkets and treasures will pass from our grasp. Though the woman had her sarcophagus painted with jewelry on the outside, she herself would become dust. All her costly adornment didn't matter in the end.

     What will matter is where our treasure lies. Is it in Heaven? Have you believed in Jesus Christ and placed your trust in Him to take you there?

     "Lord you are more precious than silver.
      Lord you are more costly than gold
      Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds
      And nothing I desire compares with you."
                                                         -Lynn De Shazo

   

   

   



 


   

Treasure in an Unlikely Place!

     Mason jars, rain-soaked cardboard boxes, roasting pans - I've found treasure in all sorts of places! Perhaps that explains why I'm willing to lean upside down over a box on someone's driveway, for all the world looking like a duck feeding at the bottom of a pond. That box may hold a treasure, and finding it requires a diligent search.

     One of my best finds occurred when I pulled a plastic bag of vintage designer jewelry from the center of a stack of old tires resting in the corner of a garage. It was for sale, but no one was sure how it had ended up there!

                                          Faux Opal and Rhinestone Brooch - Late 50s-Early 60s Era

     God has intentionally placed treasure in an unseemly place - clay jars! A clay jar is easily chipped, cracked or broken - which makes it a strange choice for something valuable. I am always amazed that God chose to shower His great love on frail human beings with all our chips and cracks! But He tells us, "... My strength is made perfect in weakness."  And a clay pot is definitely weak!

The greatest story of all time, Jesus Christ come to earth to save humanity from the sin that separated them from God. And we, the clay jar, were given the awesome privilege of storing and pouring out this treasure so that all may hear it. If the treasure was stored in gold or silver, then some might trust in the vessel's ability; stored in a clay pot the treasure of the Gospel shines brightly...

     And God is glorified...
     The point of our existence...
     "...Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!"

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7



   

   

The Treasure in a Tiny Tea Cup!

     Finding treasure during the middle of summer in Arizona is a challenge. Most will put off having their sales until the weather is a bit cooler, preferring not to be sitting outside when the temperatures hover around 100 degrees or higher. This is also when many residents find somewhere up north to cool off, which means the friends we normally see each week while we are out hunting, are now missing from the "circuit". A few more familiar faces appeared at the sales last week end, and it was great to catch up! The friends we've made while out hunting are some of the best treasures we've found!

     This charming tea cup that was purchased at a recent estate sale wouldn't be considered a treasure by most. It is a child's size cup and saucer with beautiful hand painted flowers, made in Occupied Japan by Hokutosha:

     

     It's what the cup reminds me of that makes it a treasure...

     A while back some events in my life left me wondering about God. Almighty God, the Creator of the universe...

     All powerful...

     All seeing...

     

     At that time I felt unseen by God. Like the prayers I was pouring out to Him were unheard. And it made me wonder why, when it was in His power to change things, that He didn't. 

     Little by little I didn't pray so much.

     One day a friend of mine, asked me to come to her home for coffee. When I arrived she seated me at her table, poured coffee in a beautiful cup, and offered me a pastry. We started talking about families and life. And then, as if God Himself were leading her, she started talking about prayer. She shared personal stories of hard times in her life, and how God had answered her prayers during those times. She reminded me that God has the very best plan for us, even when it may not look that way when we are in the middle of a trial. So much wisdom from this dear friend, and she had no idea what was going on in my heart.

     Or that I didn't think God was listening any more...

     The invitation from this friend wasn't random. The God that I thought didn't care, had orchestrated it all.  Through my friend He reminded me that He was there, that He was listening, that I could trust Him to bring about the best in the end. 

     When I backed away from Him, He pursued me, through a friend... 

     "...For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5b)

     So you see, the little tea cup does have great worth - it's a reminder from God that friendships are a treasure!

     

The Time Wasn't Wasted!

     One Saturday morning I was anxiously waiting for a garage door to open. The sale was late to start, and when the door groaned its way upward we found out why - someone had broken in the night before. The seller was distraught and the garage was in shambles. She allowed us to come in and pick through the items that were left, hoping to salvage some of her sales.
   
     I was immediately drawn to a large tin - the kind that would hold a Christmas fruitcake. A tin that size was surely holding a treasure under its lid! Sure enough, it was full of my favorite kind of shine, but all tossed and turned in a terrible, snarled mess.

     Though it's fruitcake disguise had kept the tin safe, being thrown out of the way had shaken the necklaces, bracelets and earrings into colorful knots. I sat down on the cold concrete floor and untangled each piece. A beautiful array of vintage jewelry emerged, some were just what I was looking for, so I picked those up out of the pile and got in line to pay.

     The seller held up each sparkly piece I presented, and in the end would only sell one pair of earrings. The rest held precious memories of her mother and grandmother - especially dear on that day when so many other treasures had been stolen away from her.

     I started to feel frustrated with the seller. She was happy the jewelry was untangled and in order, but her unwillingness to part with it meant I'd wasted a lot of my time that morning!

     That was when a Bible verse came to my mind, "...Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)

     As I looked around at the things that were broken, the mess the woman would be untangling for a long time, I realized my time hadn't been wasted. That instead I'd been given a precious opportunity to encourage a stranger, and in doing so, to do something for Christ!  

The Reality of Reality Show Treasure Hunting!

     Have you noticed the overabundance of television shows lately that are geared towards treasure hunting? It seems whoever is doing the hunting almost always finds something of great value in some forgotten storage locker, an attic, or a yard sale. Of  course, the reality wouldn't make the cut - who wants to watch someone poke around in junk for an hour and return home empty-handed? And dirty...

    The truth is you may stumble on something of exceptional value now and then - and that keeps you hunting! But many times all I've brought home is myself...and dirt!

A pair of Victorian pin brooches in silver with peacock feather inlay - a reason to keep hunting!

     It's not surprising that many enjoy these television shows, who doesn't love a good buried treasure story? And it can happen - somewhere there may be a priceless bracelet waiting to be dug up, or at least a really beautiful one like my Dad unearthed recently!

     Always, though, Jesus Christ is the greatest treasure in my life! 

     I've heard other television programs that talk about Jesus. They make it sound like following Him is a guarantee of:

• Health
• Prosperity
• A life free of trouble
• Happiness
• A get out of jail free card

     The truth is a lot different. Jesus didn't promise us any of those things if we believe in Him. That could be why some don't believe in Christ, the same disappointment  treasure hunters feel when they discover there isn't a safe full of gold in every storage locker, has filled their hearts when Jesus wasn't the quick fix from life's trouble that they were hoping for. 

     The treasure Jesus did promise, however, is sufficient to fill all our needs. He told us:

• He gives us life - everlasting! "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life..." John 3:36
• He gives us joy - even in the midst of life's trials! "...Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3
• We can't be separated from His love! "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35a, 38-39

     It is fun to watch the treasure hunting shows on television! If you want to find your own riches, though, you will have to turn off the television and start searching!

     I

Better Photos-Better Vision!

     A photograph can either make your vintage treasure look like a piece fit for the museum, or a piece of junk for the recycle bin! If you are trying to sell your treasure online, it's all about the picture - the vision you give others of the item you want them to fall in love with.

     A few good rules that will help the characteristics of your subject shine online are:

• Good lighting - dark shadows can make your vintage jewels look dirty and worn.
• The background should be free of distractions so the focus is on the item.
• Be still and steady, or use a tripod, to keep photos from blurring.
• Fill the frame with the treasure being photographed. Crop it if there is too much background and too little of the item.
• Focus on the item. Most cameras have an automatic focus option. An incorrect focus will ruin the picture.

Sterling silver, jade and enamel pendant on a black velvet background - details of the filigree and enameling are easy to see on the solid background.

     Lighting, a distraction free setting, keeping still and steady, having a focus that is filled with the item are tips that will help you take better photographs. They are also good ways to get a better picture of God!

     For many, God is a blurry entity - someone or something out there somewhere that they don't see clearly, and so to them, has little value. A correct vision of God makes all the difference. Let's use our photo tips to see how we can get that clear picture:

• Lighting - Jesus Christ is, "...the light of the world." The way to God is through believing in Him. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) 
• Take away the background distractions and search for God in prayer and meditation on His Word. Fill your mind and heart - the frame- with Him. "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
• "Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10)  Stillness will allow God the opportunity to fill us with a vision of who He is, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:5)
• Focus on God. What does He expect? How should we live? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:4-5)

     A clear picture of an old pendant can show it off as a treasure...

     A clear vision of God, His love and concern for us, is something we can treasure in our hearts!

     

     

    

Testing Amber

       Amber is a hard, transparent, yellowish-brown substance formed in ancient times from resin. It is used to make beautiful jewelry, and especially prized if an intact insect or leaf was caught in it during the fossilization process. I found some beautiful examples at an estate sale not long ago and purchased several necklaces and pendants. Recently I listed a piece in an online auction.

Amber bead necklace with 14K gold clasp

     A potential buyer asked if it had been tested for authenticity. On their instruction I proceeded with a series of tests:

• Tear some small pieces off a newspaper, then gently rub the amber on a natural fiber, such as cotton. The amber will be statically charged and pick up the small bits of newspaper.
• Dissolve 2 1/2 Tablespoons of salt in a cup of water, amber will float, other materials will drop to the bottom.
• Place a drop of acetone on the amber. It will wipe off with no effect if it is real, plastic will feel tacky to the touch.

     The piece came through the test with flying colors! It was real amber. A satisfied buyer purchased the piece with confidence.

     I was a little anxious about testing the amber. I wouldn't normally put a piece of jewelry in salt water, or drop nail polish remover (acetone) on a precious bead. But the testing was necessary if I wanted to know with confidence that the thing was real.

     Which helps me make sense of the trials that come into my life.

      In the New Testament book of James it tells me that I should, "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4) 

     How could I know for sure if the amber was real without testing it? I couldn't. 

     The testing of my faith may not be something I want to experience, but the end results - patience, and a completeness, are something precious. Real and not fake, a treasure much better than the amber!

"That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."   1 Peter 1:7

     

     

Sapphire Floors

     I rarely find gemstones when I'm treasure hunting. Possibly, it's because the green of an emerald, red of a ruby and deep blue of a sapphire are recognized as something valuable. Many times these gems are mounted in gold, making them even more precious, though I once found rubies mounted in a sterling silver band! 

     The rich colors of these gems are so well known that I can describe a rhinestone, an imitation in glass, by their colors. 

Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire Rhinestone Necklace and Earrings Set in Gold Plate with Clear Rhinestone Accents!

     Sapphires can be found in an array of colors, but the best loved is a deep, velvety blue.  High quality stones in this color are extremely rare, mined in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Burma. In May of 2013 a world record $175,000 per carat was achieved when a sapphire ring was auctioned for more than 3.4 million dollars. 

     So, imagine my surprise when I was reading Exodus 24:10 in my Bible , and was given this description,  "...and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity."

     A gemstone that we treasure, and would pay a great sum to wear as a ring or necklace, under God's feet! Which makes me wonder, if sapphire is a building material in Heaven, what must that place be like? 

     Perhaps that is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians that "...Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."  God, has made a beautiful place for us to spend eternity. A place we can look forward to. Where Jesus went to, "...prepare a place for you." 

     And if I can value a beautiful blue sapphire, shouldn't I desire even more the place God has prepared, where earth's treasures are just something to be walked on? 

     How do I find this treasure? Not at an estate sale! Not by listening to what people "think" might be the way. I go to God's Word, and find Jesus telling me that He is, "...the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." 

     The only way to God - through Jesus!

"Lord, You are more precious than silver. 

Lord, You are more costly than gold. 

Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds

And nothing I desire compares with You."

                                    Lynn DeShazo - More Precious Than Silver

     

     

     

     

     

Grandmother's Jewelry Box

     My grandmother raised five children during the Great Depression and World War II years. She worked long hours at a button factory, sewed the children's clothing and made meals using her garden's vegetables and chickens she raised. A woman with little time and less money, nonetheless she owned a tiny jewelry box.

     By the time I arrived, three other grandchildren already claimed her as "Grammy Biv". Regardless, she took time with each of us; the connection she and I shared was the jewelry box. She would take out fan shaped earrings an uncle brought back from Japan, a few little pins with rhinestones, and a beautiful old topaz ring. I was allowed to try on each piece and look at my reflection in the mirror over her dresser. Then we would put them all back in the little box. In my childish mind the rhinestones were diamonds, the earrings exotic treasures from a faraway land, and opening that box was a treat I relished!

Damascene Fan Brooch and Earrings

      Then, in my teen-aged sophistication, I stopped asking to see the jewelry box. I was no longer a child and realized the jewelry box held only trinkets and nothing of real value.

     When I first believed in Christ, opening His Word was a treat!  Though He has follower's everywhere, He and I connected over the treasures that He shared with me in His Word. He showed me jewels of truth, pearls of wisdom and allowed me to try them on and see how different I looked!

     Sometimes, we think we outgrow God's Word. It certainly doesn't seem very sophisticated in this age of technology. We may keep it shut and forget the child-like wonder we found in the treasure it holds. What I closed years ago as a teen, had worth that I didn't appreciate at the time. Grandmother no longer sits at the end of her bed with that little box of jewels , but God is always there when I open my Bible - and my heart, to Him.

"And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."    Luke 18:3

   

The Treasure of Freedom!

     Freedom! A treasure we stop to celebrate each year on the Fourth of July. Our freedom may not be tangible, we can't hold it in our hand, but it's reality effects every facet of the lives we live. It is something so precious, people are willing to sacrifice their personal comfort - even their lives, that it may continue to exist in our country. Thanks to the men and women in our military who make these great sacrifices!

Trifari Enamel & Rhinestone Brooch

     In December of 1941 my grandfather reported to his ship and spent the years of World War II in the South Pacific. He was newly widowed, with a baby daughter - my mother- to care for. She was left with a family friend while he went off to serve his country, duty-bound by the responsibility of an oath that went beyond his grief for the loss of his wife or time with his new infant. The freedom he treasured came with a price. 

     Not long after, my great-uncle signed up for the Navy, and left on his ship in a different direction. Off the coast of Italy the ship was bombed. He and many of his ship mates paid for freedom that day with their lives.  A few years ago I spent some time writing to the survivors. Each man that answered my letter remembered the day sixty-plus years earlier like it had been yesterday. When the price of freedom is paid, it isn't easily forgotten or taken for granted.

     And in all this talk of freedom and it's price, I have to stop and give thanks to the One who truly paid the ultimate price, so that we may be free no matter what place we call home.

     The death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was the price required for me to be free from the oppression of sin. Sometimes I take this freedom for granted. 

     So maybe, as the Fourth of July is celebrated with great sparkling fireworks, I will stop oooing and aahhing for a moment and give thanks to God for His gift of freedom in Christ Jesus, and His gift of a free life in our great country. 

May God bless America!

"...If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...If the Son therefore shall make you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:31,32; 36

Restrung

     A young woman brought me her grandmother's Austrian crystal bead necklace awhile back and asked if I could update it for her. She wanted something more modern that she could wear rather than leave stuffed in the back of her jewelry box. As I appraised the aurora borealis coated beads, it was quickly apparent that many were in poor condition.

Early 1960's ab crystal bead necklace

  I went to work, first snipping the nylon thread that held them together. Then I sorted out the badly worn beads from the better. The necklace that had been two strands would now be one. Restringing the beads in a new pattern I added bead caps to cover the chipped crystal ends. When I finished, the necklace sparkled in every direction as light caught facets of the crystals and gleaming silver.  

   From time to time God needs to unstring my life to make me usable. Everything is right out there in front of Him, and with His practiced eye He sorts the good from the bad. I can become so used to the chips and wear that I fail to see I'm no longer reflecting His light. He sees it, and with a loving hand restrings my life with a fresh pattern, adding His own sparkle here and there as He deems necessary. The beads left laying in the tray are my sin and disobedience that I need to confess and ask Him to take away.

     Lord, here is my life - take away, add to, and rearrange it as you see fit!

"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father..."     Matthew 13:43

"Unsigned Beauties"

     One of the first things I do when checking out a piece of vintage jewelry is turn the piece over and look at the back. This is where a maker's stamp, country of origin and precious metal content marks can be found. If the item is stamped DA Norway 925 it's of considerably more value than a similar piece with no identifying marks.

                                                                             

David Anderson Norway Sterling Silver Enameled Clip On

     Entire books are written for the purpose of helping you identify and value your vintage jewelry, and many of these line my book shelf. With this in mind, you can imagine my delight at finding a book titled, "Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry", written by Marcia "Sparkles" Brown! A book filled with photos of beautiful pieces of jewelry that, for whatever reason, were unsigned by their maker. 

     It turns out that many pieces of jewelry are so close in design to certain marked pieces that they can be attributed to the same maker. As I examined my own collection, it was easy to see this was true. Some makers use the same details in their design and are easily identifiable, marked or not.

     Which made me think about our Maker... and what identifies us with Him...

     

     Though we bear no symbol declaring us followers of Christ, there are characteristics that identify us with Him. Those who belong to Jesus will wear love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as a mark on their life. 

     Unsigned, perhaps, but identifiable as His!

"And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven."             1 Corinthians 15:49

     

     

What We Leave Behind

     The walk in to a strange home with an estate sale sign in front is filled with anticipation. Treasures covered in years of dust may be lurking inside! An enormous rhinestone brooch, long amber glass flapper beads, or even a Victorian cameo may be waiting for a new owner. Digging through decades of belongings is as exciting for me as an archaeological dig would be for others. The things we leave behind say a lot about what we treasured in life. Some places are filled with dishes, the owner unable to resist the variety of colors and patterns they collected. Others have rooms filled with fabric, thread and patterns. Now and then you find a garage filled with every kind of tool. I always wonder how many family members and friends benefited from the skill of the owner's labors!

Vintage Florenza Cameo Brooch

     We can find out what we value by looking around our own homes. While there is nothing wrong with collecting things we enjoy, we need to be sure our collection doesn't replace the real treasures in life.  Beautifully displayed dishes look even more so when used to serve a group of friends gathered around your table. A quilt made from a fabric collection could warm the heart - and feet - of the one who receives it. Our Creator gave us many beautiful things to enjoy, made even better when shared. 

     One day our own treasures may find themselves lined up on estate sale tables. If unused and in mint condition they will be a real find for someone. But the worn pieces, those with a glowing patina, speak of service, and are real treasures with a history of love!

Luke 12:15

"Then He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

     

Sparkle, Not Spots!

     I have to confess that my heart starts to race a bit when I find a rhinestone necklace at an estate sale. Well, not just any rhinestone necklace, but one that you might have seen on a movie actress in a 1940's film classic! A waterfall of clear stones sparkling every which way when the light hits them. Even when the jewelry table is set up in a dark corner of the room it seems to glow from the reflected light the rhinestones produce. During my first treasure hunts I would purchase these immediately, without taking time for a thorough examination. They always looked lovely at first glance!

     Then I would take them home, sit down with a jeweler's loupe and slowly analyze the condition of each stone. My hope was that the stones would be in "excellent vintage condition" - meaning they weren't chipped, cracked, or clouded, and didn't have any dark spots in the back of the stone. Sometimes my careful examination would reveal imperfections that weren't apparent in the haste of the treasure hunting moment! The beautiful brooch featured above looks perfect, but if you examined it under a loupe you would see that many of the teardrop shaped stones are darkened at the tips!

     It's easy to get caught up in life and race through the time we've set aside to read God's Word and pray. "Just give me a gem for this day!", we might tell God. Our heart, though, requires a closer examination through the loupe of God's Word. The dark spots within need to be found. When a rhinestone gets too many dark spots it loses its ability to reflect the light and stops sparkling. When the dark spots of sin build up in our heart we stop reflecting the Light too! Though it's almost impossible to restore a rhinestone, we can be restored by confessing our sin to God - He will forgive!

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Treasure in a Dusty Box!

     Shelves filled with the remains of a household held chipped bowls, colorful coffee cups covered with slogans and outdated kitchen appliances. At the very bottom sat an old watch box, a gummy, disintegrating rubber band holding its top on. I opened it for a quick peek, the rubber band flaked off in my hand, and a pair of vintage cuff links peeked out. People were crowded around me, it was apparent that I would have to buy this box and take it home if I wanted a better look.
   
     The box contained the cuff links, some wonderful old lockets-charming pictures intact, a man's pocket watch chain, a bus token, and a lapel stick pin with some sparkling blue stones surrounding a clear center stone. I couldn't determine a value since there were no markings on the pin, so I stuck the sweetly sentimental items back in the box and tucked it away on my own shelf.

Sterling silver /ebony inlay cuff links!

     And there it sat, until many months later when I was taking a stunning opal and 10 karat gold pendant to be appraised by a jeweler; remembering the pin, I removed it from the box and brought it along.

     The pendant I'd rushed to have appraised wasn't so stunning when I learned it was fake! The stickpin that had languished for months on the shelf turned out to be a treasure when the jeweler determined it was 14 karat gold with sapphires and a center diamond!

     The Bible tells me to bring my cares and anxiety to Christ in prayer. That He has the power to give me peace, regardless of my situation. Many times I disregard that instruction and put the treasure He offers on a shelf...to languish. In the meantime I grasp at advice from friends or count on myself to figure it all out, putting value in my own efforts. Though they never give me lasting peace...and I'm always left with worry.  My way may look right, it may seem real, but in truth, I've put my trust in what is fake! When I, "cast all my care upon Him, for He cares for me", I am filled with peace, and know that our great and mighty God cares about my situation!
     Real treasure is found in the Bible, not just an assortment of sweet and sentimental thoughts or ideas. Taking it off the shelf and opening it up to read is the beginning of the best treasure hunt...

* "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 2 Peter 5:7

The Right Place to Look

     In front of the home hosting an estate sale a long line snakes from the front door spilling out into the driveway, sometimes even down the sidewalk. The line has started an hour or so before the sale is scheduled to begin, and each person holds bags or boxes - something for carrying home the treasure they are sure to find. We recognize a few of the regulars - the woman who goes straight to the pantry and carries off all the spices and cans she finds; a man that always hunts old record albums with specific titles in mind. As the doors open you'll hear others asking directions from the sale staff for where a specific item might be found.  Most are more than happy to point you in the right direction.
     Always, I am headed for the jewelry. The sparkle draws me in; a rhinestone bracelet here, some clip on earrings there, before you know it the basket I carry is full, and I make my way to the cashier.

   
     The anticipation of what treasures lurk inside a dusty old house, the beauty of the things I find there have me hooked, and I keep going back to estate sales every week. And it makes me think of something else that draws me back time and again...

     To some the Bible is just a dusty old book, but I've found that as I read it there is beauty in the words found there. Beauty, and peace, hope, wisdom for my life...real treasure that I've never found at any sale.

     Sometimes, when I finally get to the front of the estate sale line, and ask the staff where the jewelry can be found, I'm told there isn't any that day. But when I read God's words to us - the Bible, there has always been a gem, something that sparkled and brought wonder to my day!

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8