12th November 2022

There is much celebrity surrounding that diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, that adorns one of the royal crowns of Britain. It certainly is a sparkler, and in terms of value, the most poetic valuation was expressed in this way: “If a strong man were to throw four stones – one north, one south, one east, one west, and a fifth stone up into the air – and if the space between them were to be filled with gold – all would not equal the value of the Koh-i-Noor”.

Exaggeration is allowed for in poetry, and appropriate too, for capturing and exciting our thoughts about certain things. But when you find something that seems like exaggeration, but is actually a statement of fact, that’s enough to blow your mind. Such is the prayer of the Apostle Paul about divine love: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”

In other words, if the strongest man on earth, were to throw five stones in all directions, and if the space between them were to be filled with precious diamonds – of size and value and significance as the Koh-i-Noor – all would not equal the value of the love that has come forth from the heart of God. And that is no statement of mere romantic poetry, but of perfect fact.

DM 12^th November 2022