Throughout history, glass in its many forms has been precious and sought after. It is very beautiful, and can be formed into elaborate and elegant shapes. It is also useful in many ways. We might take glass for granted since it has become so common and we use it so extensively in our everyday lives. However, the fascinating history of glass making, the processes of glass making and the properties of glass can illustrate many interesting lessons.

Glass is elementary

Natural glass has existed since the beginnings of time. Man-made glass beads have been found in Egypt and Eastern Mesopotamia dating back to 3500 B.C. Glass is fairly easy to make since it requires very few ingredients. The main ingredient is molten, liquid sand (silicon dioxide). Common glass, otherwise known as soda-lime glass, is mostly sand mixed with a little soda, lime and aluminum oxide. Other types of glass are made by adding ingredients such as lead or boron.

Like glass, we are made from the basic elements of earth.
Like glass, we are made from the basic elements of earth. In Genesis 2:7, God says He formed man from the dust of the ground. Ecclesiastes 3:20 calls us dust. When God created us, He used something elementary and commonly found.

Much like sand has to be changed into glass to make it into something useful, we also have to be changed. Romans 8:8-9 says that we must have the Holy Spirit within us to please God and be useful to Him. God is in the process of changing us so that we can be spirit beings in His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).

Glass is durable and strong

Glass may seem fragile, but it has great inherent mechanical strength and can withstand extremely high compressive stresses. As surprising as it may seem, glass is harder than most grades of unhardened steel. It is affected by few chemicals and resists most industrial and food acids. Because of this, it is used in a variety of industrial chemical plants and laboratories.

So why does glass have the reputation of being fragile? This comes because of its tendency to be weakened by surface imperfections. Two things can be done to reduce and eliminate the imperfections in glass.

Glass
First, glass can be improved by a factor of up to 10 by treating the glass with heat or chemicals so that the outer surfaces are compressively stressed at relatively high levels. This causes the cracks to be “held closed” by the continuous residual stress. This is called tempering or tempered glass. Second, the glass can be kept away from anything that could scratch the surface.

Like glass, we must become durable and strong with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. As Ephesians 6:10 says “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Our strength comes only from God (Psalm 31:24). We have many surface imperfections, much like glass. It takes God’s Spirit to help us see and overcome our inherent weaknesses.

We have many surface imperfections, much like glass.
One way that God helps us to overcome is to subject us to various “compressive stresses,” otherwise known as trials. Trials help us to strengthen our relationship with God and draw closer to Him. The apostle Paul is a wonderful example of someone who faced many stresses in his life but, because of the help of God’s Holy Spirit, he could still say “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

We also must keep away from the temptations that can “scratch” our surface and weaken us. We are told to in James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Glass is inert

If you recall from your chemistry classes, “inert” means that something is not chemically active. The molecular structure of glass does not allow it to react with other elements because it has a full outer valence shell. Its full valence shell cannot acquire or lose electrons to react with other elements.

Inert can also mean peaceful and stable. These are characteristics that God wants us to have as Christians. We are to develop a peaceful nature and a stable mind. We know that “to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” Again, Barnes’ commentary adds, “The mind that has confidence in God shall not be agitated by the trials to which it shall be subject; by persecution, poverty, sickness, want, or bereavement.”

Do we have a calmness of mind because of God’s Spirit working with our mind, or are we troubled and anxious? Recall what David said in Psalm 119:165 when he wrote, “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Knowing that God is in control should give us peace and stability each day.

Glass requires heat to be formed

Crushed sand, limestone and sodium carbonate must be blended and heated at temperatures near 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time in order to form glass. It may take up to 24 hours in a furnace to rid liquid glass of small bubbles that can cause imperfections before liquid glass is ready to be used.

Glass
Even while glass is being blown, molded or pulled into its finished shape, it requires constant heat. It can only be removed from the furnace for short periods of time without cracking.

The apostle Peter compared the trials that Christians must go through to build godly character as refining fires. He spoke of “the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:7). Later he wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

And like glass, we must be constantly hot with zeal. To do this, we must constantly strive to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1).

As Christians, our goal is to become openly transparent and at the same time, reflecting the character of God in all that we do.
Since our body is now the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, God wants the intents of our heart and mind to always reflect His nature (1 Corinthians 6:19; Psalm 51:16-17). To do this difficult task, we must cultivate a deep love for our Father and His truth in our lives. We can only be shaped and formed by God if we have a continual fire burning within us.

Glass is brilliant

The most obvious characteristic of ordinary glass is its transparency, which allows light to pass through it. This occurs because ordinary glass is homogeneous on all length scales greater than about a wavelength of visible light. As a result, glass is extremely beautiful and brilliant, especially when placed in bright light.

Glass beads
As Christians, our goal is to become openly transparent and at the same time, reflecting the character of God in all that we do. Ephesians 5:8-10 tells us to “walk as children of light.” We do this by reflecting the “fruit of the light” as the margin reads for verse 9. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Are we developing character of light?

If we are not, then we are like the tares spoken of in the parable of Matthew 13:24-32, which are cast into the furnace of fire. Our lives must reflect God’s light through the fruits of the Spirit.

In conclusion, we who hope to be the bride of Christ and share eternal life with Him must learn and live these lessons. We need the qualities of character that are illustrated so vividly by the wonderful stuff we call glass.