You may have seen in the news lately about the horrific story of a 15 year old girl who was brutually raped at her homecoming dance by multiple men while 20 others watched, took pictures, laughed, and…most horrificly…didn’t help her. It is truly the worst of humanity on display.

If I could look into the eyes of that young woman, I would tell her a parable about two thieves who broke into a jewelry store, but instead of stealing the jewels they simply switched the price tags. They put high-priced tags on cheap jewelry and low-priced tags on valuable gems. For several weeks no one noticed. People bought cheap jewelry for exorbitant prices and rare jewels for spare change. The point is pretty obvious: sometimes we have difficulty discerning between what is valuable and what is worthless when the price tag says a specific thing.

We especially have difficulty when we look at the price that the world has put on us and it’s of little worth. What happens in your life does not define your worth! Just as the thief didn’t truly change the value of the jewelry, the horror of your past doesn’t change your value. God made you a valuable gem! The good news is this: you have the power to switch the tags back! Reclaim your original value. God never changed His mind about His redeeming love for your life.