Continuing my series of the seven gifts given by God to the faithful, described in the early chapters of the Book of Revelation, we come to a favourite, the white stone.  The Bible text says: “To him who overcomes, I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”(Rev2:17).

Above is my quilt wall hanging of the white stone, which I decided was best portrayed as a diamond.  If you look into the heart of a diamond, you do see some white, but also flashes of bright colours and multiple reflections.  The quilt was very difficult to make, as the outside pieced triangles were big enough to manage to sew together, but as I got towards the centre, the pieces got smaller and smaller and very fiddly, especially as I was using a variety of different white fabrics, some of them shiny and some stretchy, or overlaid with organza, so very difficult to sew together neatly…..

Around the outside are machine-embroidered cyrillic letters, some of it mirror writing, which says “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, who was and is, and is to come.” I was surprised to find that my sewing machine offered a Cyrillic alphabet, and mirror writing, so I thought it would make an effective quilted border.

I submitted this work to the V&A Museum in London as part of a competition where you had to make a work inspired by an item in their collections, so I chose one of their large diamonds in their jewellery gallery.  I was astonished and thrilled when my work was accepted, and shown in an exhibition with other winners at the V&A.  I made sure to get all my friends go and see it, especially those who had been a bit snooty about me taking up quilting as a second career, in later life…..    I keep this work as a special piece now, can’t bear to sell it.  So it is the only unsold one left of my “Rev Sev”(Revelation Seven) series.

But back to the text.  Whereas crowns and thrones are a bit distant and grand feeling, being given a stone with your special name on it by Jesus feels a very intimate and special gift.  It says to me, “you are unique, special, prized and valued by Me,” which is the most amazing and wonderful feeling for one who has always felt a bit rubbish, not worth anything.  And the special new name on it will be revealing!  God knows me only too well, so I wonder what it will be.  “Much afraid” maybe, or “Forever putting your foot in it”!  A bit like the nickname given to the apostles James and John: “the sons of thunder”, because apparently they had quite a temper…..  All part of the diversity of us human beings, and all valued as such, creating variety, an interesting social mix, not a boring bland samey lot.  Worth remembering that, next time someone is annoying you at church, or doesn’t seem to fit in.

Anyway, I hope and pray I persevere to the end, and “overcome”,  to receive this precious gift from God.  Something akin to a big hug!