The Quarry Site Experience

Have you ever visited a quarry site and considered the process the rocks are subjected to before they become dressed stones to be used? If the stones could talk they will have a story to tell about their experiences. 

As children of God we go through diverse experiences and we wonder if we will indeed survive them. Sometimes we wonder why our gracious and compassionate Father would allow such to befall us considering who we are in Him and what we are doing in His vineyard. 

The Scripture that should readily come to our minds in such circumstances is God’s assurance when He said: “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you” (Isaiah 43:2). This Scripture assures us that through the experiences of flames and waters, God is always by our side to see us through. 

Thus, it is necessary for us to go through them so that we may come out refined, shaped, dressed and ready for the glory that He has set before us. Remember, Jesus, Abraham, David, Moses, Joseph, Paul and many more went through quarry site experiences that made them dressed and ready for service. God has not stopped using the quarry site to train His people to serve Him wholly. 

It is at this site that He hammers, chisel and iron out everything that will hinder His work in and through us before taking us to the Temple site. The Bible says “you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). A stone that does not go through the ‘trainings’ of the quarry site is not useful at the Temple, in fact cannot find its way on its own to the Temple site. This is why it is hilarious when one attends a burial ceremony and the Priest asks the people to pray for forgiveness for the departed soul in order for such to enter into Heaven. It does not work like that. The Bible clearly tells us that it has been given to us to die once and proceed to judgment. It is at this side of eternity we get dressed for the other side not whilst we are there: “The Temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry site so that no hammer, chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built” (1Kings 6:7). 

Friend, Jesus Christ is coming back again. Only stones that submitted to His dealings at the quarry site will be useful to Him and will go with Him. Are you still at the quarry site or you have jumped out? Every stone that went through the quarry site will bear the marks of the implements used to shape it. 

Friend, the experiences you are going through now is shaping (transforming) you into the very picture God have in mind for you which reflects His glory. If we must share in the glory of Christ we must share in His sufferings as well. When going through these experiences our prayers should not be for God to take us out of them but rather to give us the grace that will see us through them without faltering: “Therefore we do not give up, even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory (2Corinthians 4: 16-17); so don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36). 

Be encouraged, know for sure that God loves you and He has a plan for you through this that you are presently in. God bless you as you endure and wait for Him.