DIAMONDS….A MYSTERY TO A CREATIONIST?

DIAMONDS….A MYSTERY TO A CREATIONIST?

 

Photo by wendy at FreeImages

Diamonds are incredibly fascinating pieces of carbon rock found on the upper mantle and crust of the earth. It is one of the hardest substances known to man and is known in western society by the phrase, “A woman’s best friend” owing to its over-hyped, cinema promoted use in pre-wedding nuptials and marriage proposals.

                 Diamonds are also especially of interest because from the perspective of geology and most mineral sciences they would be termed garbage if it were not for someone who thought of the idea of using it on engagement rings with the conveyed perception that bigger the diamond the more the man loves you. 

                 However, this carbon-based substance has a wide variety of uses today in various industries owing to certain properties that make it a uniquely useful tool. Diamonds are range from clear to translucent based on the minerals trapped within it thus when cut and polished by skilled craftsmen its refractive characteristics are eye catching. They have a high melting point compared to a majority of substances known to man thus making it ideal for industries that require various tools to operate in extremely high temperature without melting or softening in the heat.  The hardness of diamonds helps serve the purpose of being used as glass cutters and more as it leaves a very smooth finish since a thin slice of diamond is still harder than most other substances.  Don’t you think it is fascinating how something that can just be a worthless piece of rock, is today estimated to be worth millions  and has so many uses?

How do diamonds form you ask? Science says that diamonds form in the mantle of the earth which lies about a 100 miles below the surface of the earth where we live.  The enormous weight of the crust and the intense heat in the mantle combined with various other natural factors is what causes one carbon atom to join with 4 other carbon atoms and so on crystallize little by little until it forms a fair sized piece of rock within the mantle itself.  Scientists say that this process may take from just a few hours to even a million years depending on the conditions and processes, a lot of which we still do not know about. Yes, how a diamond forms naturally is still a mystery on certain levels although we can replicate the process artificially in laboratories and create our own diamonds. Anyway, once a diamond forms within the mantle, volcanic eruptions cause diamonds in the magma to be forced up and out onto the crust of the earth where today all the diamonds we know of are found.

So then, from the perspective of a person who believes the Bible and the fact that according to the Bible the earth is only between 6000 to 10,000 years old I’d say diamonds are fascinating.  For a Bible believing Christian it might sound like an unsolvable paradox. But is it? I for one would like to think it is not. Infact, I think it is only a small example of how powerful our Creator really is. The Bible says that a few 1000 years ago, God said, “Let there be” and in six days’ time all of creation came into existence. Now diamonds are substances that should scientifically take extremely long to form naturally. Well, the factor they do not account for is the Creator’s power. Do you realize that the word ‘beginning’ in the Bible is used when creation was to be spoken into existence which means there was a timeless existence before then and the only one existing in timelessness was God alone. To save time, let me state this simply, God exists beyond the limitations and effects of time for He is the one who designed time itself. For God, time is simply the beautiful fabric that connects His handiwork from beginning to end and brings order and structure to it. Remember, God is an unbounded, self-sufficient being who chooses to express Himself to us within the boundaries of our mortal capacities.

To be honest, we know for a fact that light from the nearest star apart from our sun would actually take thousands to millions of years to reach us. I don’t think any logical yet true Christian would ever doubt that. However, the Bible does not allow for such periods of time between the creation of the universe and the creation of man. It all took just 6 days. Then how do we see the light from stars that are situated billions of light years away?  Another paradox? No. It is the same paradox as the one I mentioned earlier. A paradox for our frail minds but nothing more than a mere word to the Creator. I think what God did was just think that this star will be millions of light years away but its light will start to travel from this point which is just a few years away from the earth. Hey, if God could create the universe in 6 days then I doubt it would take Him more than just a thought to make this concept a reality. I think this is more or less what He did with diamonds as well. He compressed the effect that a million years might have on carbon molecules into just one quick moment and when he called out the land from under the oceans that covered the earth’s surface then those diamonds too shot out onto the surface world.

The next question will then be, “Why?” Why would God want to go to such great lengths? Well, to be honest, because He can. The purpose of why He created an unlimited expanse around us with so much in the inky blackness of space that can never be fully comprehended by man, the only creature with the faculties to understand and fathom  those depths, would be to show us how indescribably powerful and wise a Creator He is. He wants us to be surprised, confused and perplexed. He wants us to be bewildered, astounded and awe-struck at His work. This so that we truly realize who our Creator is and give Him the glory He deserves.

The next time you see a diamond, or you see anything in creation and a thought flashes in your head, “Wow! That is beautiful” or “Man! That is awesome”, well don’t forget to gaze at its Creator and praise Him for who He is.