A “diamond in the rough” It’s a quote we’ve all heard at one point and time in our lives. Whether it’s a teacher motivating his/her student to reach their potential, an ex-girlfriend giving you a gentle let down, or just while watching Disney’s Aladdin…we’ve all come into contact with the proverbial “diamond in the rough”.
But what does it actually mean? In what context can this term be used, and why?
By the way, don’t you hate those kinds of questions? You know the ones where they ask you for an answer…and then make you explain yourself for picking that answer; but this one pretty easy.
Have you ever actually seen a rough diamond? It is not very much to look at. Looks just like any other type of stone you’d find lying around. No definitive shape, no sparkle, no shine. It is just a grainy pebble looking like not very much at all. Well, that’s what your typical run of the mill individual is like. It is simple, plain, and sometimes even grainy.
But with every bit of pressure, with every chisel of a facet, there is born a new gem. Every cutinto the stone removes vital mass, while at the same time defines what it will potentially become.
Skilled craftsmen take careful and calculated measures to insure that the end product doesn’t deviate from the original too far…while at the same time, looking at just A STONE and seeing it’s true potential. A diamond cutter is able to differentiate which piece of rough diamond will perform higher and more effectively. They look at, what to the layman looks at like rock candy, and see priceless gems.
And that’s just it…the why.
It’s not.. that any given person is better than another, but rather that we see the inherent potential in them, and hope to, just like the skilled craftsmen, bring out the brilliance hidden in each of them.
That being said, don’t be afraid of hardships or difficult endeavors because each of them are faceting you to be the highest preforming diamond in the lot.
