Lost and Found (My diamond and me)

Last Saturday night, we had quite a scare. We'd gone to Chili's for dinner that night with Elaina, had come home, bathed her and put her to bed. I had put away some laundry and we were getting ready to pop in a movie we'd rented from Redbox...when I glanced down at my left hand and to my HORROR saw 4 empty prongs staring up at me, where my diamond used to be! "My diamond is gone...Scott, my diamond is GONE!" I burst into tears. Scott calmly said, "Let's pray right now." So we did, asking God to help us find it. Afterward, I was more at peace, and we both were on our hands and knees groping about the floors of the entire house. I called Chili's and let them know so they could look there too. We thought how it could be in the parking lot at Chili's, by the Red Box machine...or could have washed down the drain when we gave Elaina a bath that night. It could have been ANYWHERE. I knew that I had it at Chili's during dinner, and that was the last time I saw it. Literally about 10 minutes later, Scott declared "I can't believe it. I found it!!" It was on the floor of our bedroom, next to our dresser, where I had just put away the clothes I'd folded. Just laying there on the carpet. My 1.1 carat diamond! We began to just praise God aloud - we knew it was GOD to have found it again. Like a needle in a haystack! With all the "could-have-beens" we realized the Lord was gracious in allowing us to find it. We'd already resolved that it was "just" a rock that came out of the ground and we could replace it. Though we hadn't insured it, so that was another reason I was initially upset. (We plan on doing that ASAP.) We both thought of the parable of Luke 15, where Jesus tells the story about the lost coin and the woman who turned her house upside down to find it. I was hit with the reality that Jesus values me as much as I valued that diamond - yes, even more - and came to this earth and layed down His life to find me! As we sing, "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see." And to think of God rejoicing over one soul who repents! Our rejoicing that night over the found diamond was such a neat picture of this...thank You, Lord!