A Precious Find - A Precious Memory - A Precious Truth

“If you succeed, it isn’t because of luck. Success comes from faith and work and prayer.” President Spencer W. Kimball

Jon, Dana, Leah, and Hannah Kelly

Sometimes in life you really hope for something. You pray, then get busy doing your part and trying your hardest, but with no success. With unanswered prayers we can question “is God really there?” Or maybe His answer truly is a “no.” Or maybe we think our silly desires just aren’t important to Him or He just isn’t listening. But what if WE just aren’t listening long enough or hard enough. Sometimes I think we just aren’t in the conversation long enough. Maybe we allow our own understanding to take over rather than seeking God’s knowledge. He does things in His own way and timing. I’ve had enough experiences with God pulling through at the last minute that I don’t doubt anymore. Sometimes it’s all about patience.

This past month was my daughter, Hannah’s, big day; she would be turning 16 years old, which is a huge milestone for a young woman. Well, she opted for a vacation of her choosing rather than a party. We decided to spend time with family 1,000 miles away and discovered there was a diamond mine nearby in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Hannah inherited a love of rocks from her mama. Here at this diamond crater, the rock possibilities were quite exciting for me and a rockhound like herself. Our family arrived, all eager to take a shot at finding a diamond, though the likelihood of finding one was rare. Even so, we were still hoping and praying for a little miracle. I thought that it would be a perfect sweet sixteen birthday present for my rock loving girl to find her very own diamond. As we searched, it got hotter. We all “staked a claim” and dug around for a few hours…nothing. We moved around and still nothing.

An announcement over the intercom stated there would be a workshop in 5 minutes. We decided to seek more advice. After the workshop we hit the rough terrain again. I found something! It looked like glass! I thought, maybe a diamond, maybe quartz? I saw a young man with serious equipment and figured he would know. I went up to him, and he asked if I had something to show him. I asked, do diamonds look like clear glass? He confirmed it was quartz and not a diamond. He asked me if I would like to see a raw diamond specimen so I would know what to look for. I eagerly nodded in the affirmative. He took my quartz glass and set it next to his brown diamond. I’m surprised by how wrong my idea of what I was looking for was. What a difference it makes to truly have a guide to go by; to seek out and listen to someone who has been around a diamond mine and has a lot more experience at this than I do. (I thought this was helpful, but turn to face the large dirt field feeling overwhelmed. My only chance in finding a diamond is with God.)

I went back to work with a constant prayer and the question “where would I be if I was a diamond?” “Where would you look, Father?” “Not here” came the impression. This place has been picked over for years and years and to have any hope of finding a prized diamond, I needed to go deeper, but time was not on my side. I only had an hour left, but then a clear thought came to me to look in holes left by others who have been digging. I told Hannah to watch for anything that was glassy or metallic. Because we only had an hour left, I told Hannah about the impression I received and that she should walk with me so we could cover more ground. She had other ideas and was determined to stay where she was. No convincing would change her mind. I thought to myself this must be how God feels with me sometimes…when I am sure that my way will bear fruit, when I am caught up in my frustrations, and when I want to do it my way. I was a little sad this would not be a joint effort, so I went on my search without her, but it wasn’t quite the same without my daughter.

As I sought previously dug holes, I had the feeling that this would bring success. Again, I asked Hannah to come with me, but again she was determined in her own direction. As I came to my second hole, I was stunned by a glimmer that caught my eye. There it was. There was no mistaking this as anything other than a diamond. But was it really? I held my breath, too afraid to touch it and lose it in the cool moist sand… too afraid to look up out of fear that I would lose sight of it. But I had to! It was Hannah who was meant to find this, not me! If only she had been willing to walk with me. I loudly called her name. We were too far apart for her to hear me or maybe she does hear me but doesn’t want to be bothered. I sigh. I want Hannah to claim it. It was meant for her, but if I leave to get her, I will likely never find it again. Against the dark sand, the target of my gaze is brightly sparkling back at me. It is the prettiest piece of yellow glass I have ever seen.

I experienced what people thousands of years ago felt picking up one of these gems for the first time. I hold my breath and hope as I reach down that my shaky hands don’t bury the diamond. I half-heartedly pick it up wishing it was Hannah instead of me. In relief, I managed to raise it from the sand. I holler for my daughter once more. No response. This is definitely how Heavenly Father feels when I’m not listening, I muse.

I decided I should confirm what it is with my earlier consultant. I walk back to him, and he smiles wryly at me. “Find something else?” With a glint of humor in his eyes, he waits expectantly. “What if I told you, I found yellow glass,” I said. He replied, “show me.” I did show him, but with no reaction he told me to close my hand tightly and follow him as he walked away. I was confused by his response. But curious, I follow him. He turns around a bit alarmed asking where it is. I had squeezed it between my fingers not trusting my clumsy hand to hold on to its hopeful treasure. A little more excitement fills my heart by his reaction. He reaches a trash can and digs around. Now I am quite puzzled as he pulls out an old Gatorade bottle. He rinses it out and holds it towards me and gestures for me to drop my hopeful treasure into the bottle. He puts the lid on and smiles happily exclaiming that I had just found my first diamond. I was thrilled and so thankful to God for answering my prayer. It wasn’t answered as I hoped, but that was not His fault. It was my daughter’s agency. As I ponder this experience, I can’t help but wish the diamond registration card had Hannah’s name on it instead of mine.

Why was it me who found it? As I prayed, I asked God if this diamond was meant for Hannah. The affirmative feeling came so sweetly that it brought tears to my eyes. My Father in Heaven loves my daughter so completely and wants her happiness as much as I do. That diamond was a special gift for my sweet daughter from her Heavenly Father for her 16th birthday. How grateful I am to have been able to be a part of making that possible for her.

Hannah and I had a discussion about why this happened the way it did. Her prayer had started and ended within a few minutes of beginning her search. She then did her very best using her own ideas, thoughts, and understanding. While on the other hand, I have been searching for rocks for a few years longer. I have more experience, but more importantly, I have more experience with seeking answers by prayer. I have been doing this 30 years longer than my sweet daughter, and my experiences with prayer have taught me to always have a prayer in my heart, especially when seeking divine help. I began my prayer that morning and continued throughout the whole day. In my experience with prayer, a continued conversation with Heavenly Father tends to open my mind to impressions. Those impressions are lost if I focus just on my own thoughts and ideas.

God does answer prayers. He does want us to find joy during this mortal journey. He wants our success and yes, He wants to be a part of each of our stories. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

Submitted by Dana Kelly from Aztec, NM

June 2021