The Parables of Jesus had the power to shape a generation then, which means they have the power to form a generation now. Parables have a mysterious power to understand you better than you understand the parable. These parables invite us into a journey of exploration and discovery leading to life change.

Waiting can be exhausting and stressful, but under that same formula of time + pressure, coal will turn into diamonds.

Here’s the deal - we hate to wait. In our give it to me and give it to me now culture, we have come to believe that God is also someone who, like a genie in a bottle, will grant our every wish and at a moment's notice.

But what about when He doesn’t? What then?

We are often left with a sense of confusion and doubt: “Did God not hear my prayers? Did I not pray the right prayers? Does God not care about what I’m going through?”

In our last Parable we will enter the world of the Persistent Widow - someone who remained persistent while waiting.

Honestly, this Parable feels like a diamond in the rough of sorts. With so much pain and darkness in the world; with so much need; with so much longing for meaning and love, we believe the time is now to rend our hearts and cry out to God both day and night.