Ruby

I am precious to the King who seeks me.

     Diamond, emerald, sapphire and ruby are the most famous crystals in the world. They are all rare, precious, and also the hardest minerals on earth. But they all come in common varieties, usually just as hard but much easier to find, and far less dazzling. Common ruby doesn't always appear to be a gem so much as a rock. It is still red, but it's impure and won't always let light pass through. While rubies with impurities are easy to come by, gemstone quality stones are few and far between, which is why they are desired so much. Miners will work for days, digging and searching to find these beautiful crystals.

"But now says the Lord,

     He who created you, O Jacob,

     He who formed you, O Israel:

     'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

     I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 

     And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

      When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

     And the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,

     The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

     I give Egypt as your ransom,

     Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my eyes,

     And honored, and I love you,

     I give men in return for you, 

     Peoples in exchange for your life.

Fear not, for I am with you;

     I will bring your offspring from the east, 

     And from the west I will gather you.

I will say to the north, Give up,

     And to the south, Do not withhold;

     Bring my sons from afar

     And my daughters from the ends of the earth,

Everyone who is called by my name,

     Whom I created for my glory,

     Whom I formed and made."

Isaiah 43:1-7

     Like precious ruby, the Lord seeks us out, devoting himself to finding and protecting us. He is righteous and powerful, far far beyond anything we could ever do, and he loves us unconditionally.

     "For this says the Lord: when seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back from this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you, declares the Lord and I will bring you back to the place where I sent you into exile."

Jeremiah 29:10-14