What do butterflies, pearls and diamonds have in common?

"Only God can turn a caterpillar into a butterfly, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds. Don't despise the seasons of pressure."

I can't find the source of this quote, but want to share it and remember it.

A caterpillar in the chrysalis is totally transformed, down to the cellular level. Emerging from the chrysalis takes pressure and patience. The butterfly is too big for the small container and once out has to pump fluid into its wings and let them dry before flying free.

The sand in an oyster starts out as an irritant, and the deposits around it are a means of reducing the irritation. It takes a long time to produce a pearl of great worth.

Coal under great pressure over an eon of time produces a diamond. The carbon atoms have to be rearranged into a new pattern. It takes high heat and high pressure to make the chemical changes at the atomic level to make diamonds. The beauty of a diamond is how light is reflected from the many facets, producing a rainbow of color.

These are just three examples of precious beauty that result from pressure and time, with changes occurring on a cellular or atomic level.

Applying these examples to our lives in Christ gives us a glimpse of the transformation that occurs inside us, in our very nature, to make us holy, righteous and Christ-like. If we want to be more like Jesus, we must let and trust God to change us at the cellular or atomic level. This will take time. It will take heat. It will take pressure. Don't despise the seasons of pressure!

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT)

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! (Matthew 13:45, 46 NLT)

Clothed in God’s glory [in all its splendor and radiance]. The luster of it resembled a rare and most precious jewel, like jasper, shining clear as crystal. (Revelation 21:11 AMP)