There is a place on the Pacific coast that we like to visit. We walk slowly along the beach with our heads down, picking up small rocks, worn smooth after years and years of being rolled back and forth by the waves. When the rocks are wet, they glisten with every color of the rainbow. I often wonder how such a variety of rocks would end up on one beach. Zechariah’s words “They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown” make me think of that beach.

The prophecy of Zechariah was given to the people of Judah to remind them of God’s overarching plans and to encourage them about deliverance in the future. Zechariah painted awe-inspiring word pictures of the salvation and restoration that the Messiah, the promised deliverer, would accomplish. The message speaks of God’s great delight in his people—they will be restored and “will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.” God will take care of his precious sons and daughters because they are his and he wants to see them fully restored.

In Ephesians 3:10-11, Paul writes that God has revealed his amazing wisdom to the rulers and powers of this world through the church, which is built on the foundation set by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God’s people will shine as they reveal God’s wisdom and beauty every­where.