A Lesson from a Quartz

An amethyst is formed when a liquid on the surface of the earth squeezes its way into the crack of a rock. When the liquid interacts with the rock, parts of the rock dissolve. And when the mixture cools, translucent crystals appear. Waves of energy and traces of iron bring color to the crystals by removing one electron from the iron. The color is most intense in the area where the crystal is growing the most.

In other words, something goes wrong. Under a great amount of pressure, perhaps over a long period of time or perhaps all of the sudden, something breaks, and through this brokenness—this imperfection—something new gets inside. Eventually, conditions change, as they always do. The pressure lets off for a while, but now, there’s a new creation—new growth. Light and strength transform this new creation, taking away tiny bits to make space for something new. The result is beautiful, unique, and impossible to duplicate.

So, maybe what you think is broken is really part of a transformation. Maybe your imperfections are what allow the light to get in. Maybe pressure is necessary. Maybe our most beautiful, brightest, and most intense selves emerge when we are growing the most.