What Is Truly Precious?

Have you ever thought about the word precious? We often use it to describe gems or family. But what is truly precious to you and to God?

There are many things in life that a person can think of as precious. Some things we might call precious would be our mates, children, parents, friends or maybe even a beautiful sunset. Precious can describe anything we consider to be of great value or something we highly cherish.

A city of precious gems

Among the physical things I find precious are beautiful gems. What girl doesn’t dream of the day she will meet her “Prince Charming” and the day she will receive the gift of a precious gem? It could be a diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, opal, onyx, pearl or any other precious gem of choice.

Just as the young man finds her precious and gives her a precious gift, God also is preparing a special or precious gift for us in the near future—a precious holy city.

In Revelation 21 that city is described as being decorated in gems. As human beings, it is hard to imagine how beautiful and magnificent this city will be. It will be so much grander than even the most beautiful cities in our world.

I found it helpful to go through this chapter and meditate on what it describes. We can look up pictures and descriptions of the many gems that are listed and imagine how strikingly beautiful it will be. And then we can realize that even what we imagine won’t compare with the reality in the slightest bit! God loves beauty and wants us to have a fantastic atmosphere to enjoy for eternity.

A precious people with a precious future

It is also helpful to study the word precious in the Bible. It is used in many passages. As a study question, consider, “What does God look at as precious?”

One thing is found in Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” A person who dies in the faith will, in his or her next waking moment, rise to meet Jesus Christ in the air and receive the gift of eternal life!

Just as God gave Adam and Eve a beautiful garden to live in, He also will provide an even more beautiful place for us. Christ will eventually bring the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, with all its beauty and precious gems to this earth.

The next time you look at a diamond, emerald, ruby or pearl, think about that glorious city and the most precious hope in our lives!

To learn more, read our article “New Jerusalem.”