Rock N Roll (Not what you think)

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." This is an old Chinese proverb. Since Sunday was the Chinese new year, I thought this would be appropriate. I can really relate to this teaching. It reminds me of when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I received a rock tumbler kit for Christmas. I had to throw a bunch of little rocks in a plastic jar thing, and add a little bit of water. Then I plugged it in and it would spin around like a rotisserie. At first I would check it ever 5 minutes or so. No change. After about an hour, still no change. This went on all day. Still no change. A kid wants immediate results. There is no waiting. I'm sorry to say, that I ran that tumbler for weeks. I never saw any change in the rocks. They were just as jagged as when I put them in there. They were just wet.
So what's my point? When we are undergoing trials, we want to see the end as soon as possible. But the polishing of our character takes time. The harder the stone, the longer it takes. Boy, I must really be a diamond in the rough.