The pain of discipline, or the pain of regret?

Again and again, the words surface in my mind – hovering over my consciousness, standing in my path and presenting a constant, yet eternal foe. Sometimes I win, and sometimes I don’t, but things get better with each attempt and the human makes progress; one baby step at a time.

And this is true of life – and we know this all too well in our daily journey – that we humans grow over a long period of time. The journey is never overnight, Rome was never built in a day, and a beautiful person is never so without hard work; without broken hearts and shattered dreams, in between desperate gasps of air and the sound of hurried footsteps in a race to salvation.

Show me the pretty face you were born with – perhaps you might catch my attention.
Show me your scars – how deep they are, why you have them, and how you got through it.
Show me your fears, tell me what keeps you up at night; tell me your deepest and darkest secret.
I want to see the sweat on your brow, know the scars on your heart, feel the grit in your eyes and catch the fire in your veins.
Because diamonds need more than just refining. Diamonds need extreme heat over long periods of time. Diamonds need permanent scarring. Diamonds need a beautiful, shining core that only beauty can beget.

So whatever it is you are going through now – rejection, chronic procrastination, physical suffering, emotional suffering, social anxiety, time management issues, or simply an ordeal with Pain himself, when everything you do in life is going wrong – know that every single time you burn, you are one step closer to beauty. Only diamonds can withstand that amount of heat. Only the best can beat that situation you’re in, and you are the best.

Believe it. Live it.

I am a diamond, and I will live the pain of discipline.