Audio Download

Gemstones: The Stones that Don’t Transfer, Part 1

Introduction: The Pattern of God’s Refinement

The Pattern Stated

[Study Aired January 27, 2026]

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His purposes through discernible patterns that testify across covenant and context. These patterns are not imposed upon the text but arise through repeated witness, allowing spiritual realities to emerge as Scripture interprets Scripture. Among these patterns, the progression of gemstones across three biblical contexts—the high priest’s breastplate, the covering of the anointed cherub, and the foundations of New Jerusalem—reveals a consistent truth concerning what belongs to the present order and what abides into the age to come.

The Old Testament establishes the transient nature of the Adamic order itself. David declares before the congregation of Israel:

“For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” (1 Chronicles 29:15)

This testimony reaches beyond individual mortality to describe the condition of life under the present creation. What belongs to this order is characterized by shadow rather than permanence. Though appointed by God for a time and purpose, it does not abide.

Within this shadowed framework, God instituted visible arrangements that testified to deeper realities. Exodus 28:17–20 describes twelve stones set in gold upon the high priest’s breastplate, each bearing the name of a tribe of Israel. These stones functioned as a memorial before the Lord, representing the people within the ceremonial order established under the Law.

Ezekiel 28:13 presents a different arrangement: nine stones forming the covering of the anointed cherub in Eden. The reduction from twelve to nine appears within a context of judgment and exposure, signaling a refining of what belonged to the Adamic realm. What was once complete in ceremonial representation is now reduced under divine scrutiny, revealing that not all elements appointed for earthly ministry remain intact when judgment is brought to bear.

Revelation 21:19–20 reveals twelve foundation stones of New Jerusalem. While the number twelve reappears, the composition is not identical to either earlier arrangement. This reconstitution declares that restoration does not occur through repetition of the former order, but through transformation. What abides into the age to come is not a return to ceremonial representation, but a perfected reality suited to eternal dwelling.

The sequence—twelve, nine, twelve—draws attention to a governing principle: not everything present within the shadowed order transfers unchanged into what abides. The reduction from twelve to nine, followed by a reconstitution to twelve with altered composition, testifies to God’s refining work. Elements suited only for earthly ministry are removed or replaced, while what fulfills His eternal purpose is brought to completion.

The Governing Principle: Shadow and Substance

Paul articulates this principle plainly:

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)

Shadow exists for the sake of substance, not alongside it. What functions as shadow testifies to what is real, yet cannot itself become reality. When substance appears, the shadow fulfills its appointed role by yielding its place. This yielding is not failure, but completion.

Read together, these two witnesses, 1 Chronicles 29:15 and Colossians 2:17, establish the framework for this study. The Old Testament declares that what belongs to this present order does not abide. The New Testament reveals where abiding substance is found—in Christ. All structures, arrangements, and representations given within the shadow must therefore be understood according to whether they remain external testimony or find fulfillment in spiritual reality.

It is within this framework that the pattern of precious stones must be examined. Certain stones appear within the priestly order and the Edenic covering because they accurately represent aspects of the external system in which they were placed. Their presence served God’s purpose within the present order marked by shadow. Yet their appearance—or absence—when the eternal city, New Jerusalem, is revealed must be interpreted according to the same principle of shadow giving way to substance.

The Stones Under Examination

Four stones warrant focused attention. Each appears within at least one of the earlier scriptural contexts, yet none stands independently among the foundations of New Jerusalem. Their absence is neither incidental nor arbitrary. Rather, each reveals a specific aspect of the natural order that cannot remain in its original form when what abides is fully revealed.

In Part 1, we examine the carbuncle and the diamond. Together, they reveal two aspects of refinement: external attachment replaced by internal union, and hardness of heart removed while truth finds fulfillment in Christ.

The Carbuncle: External Attachment Superseded by Internal Union

The Carbuncle’s Positions

In Exodus 28:17, the carbuncle appears as the third stone in the first row of the high priest’s breastplate, set alongside sardius and topaz. The Hebrew term bareqeth (Strong’s H1304) conveys the sense of flashing brilliance, likened to lightning. This outward radiance belongs to the realm of visible distinction rather than inward reality, for the kingdom of God does not come with observation.

Jesus Himself warned against locating God’s kingdom in outward signs:

(Luke 17:20–23) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” 

The carbuncle’s brilliance thus frames its testimony: external radiance without internal transformation cannot constitute eternal foundation. What shines outwardly may still lack inward habitation.

This stone bore the name of Levi, whose designation Leviy (Strong’s H3878) derives from a root meaning “joined” or “attached.” The origin of Levi’s name reveals the nature of this joining:

“And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.” (Genesis 29:34)

From its inception, Levi’s identity was defined by attachment. Yet this joining operated entirely within the natural realm—a wife’s longing for affection, a mother’s hope for relational security through childbearing. The attachment was real, but it was circumstantial, external, and bound to the flesh.

When we turn to Ezekiel 28:13, the carbuncle appears again—now as the ninth and final stone in the covering of the anointed cherub. Its movement from the third position in Exodus to the ninth position under judgment signals completion rather than advancement. The carbuncle stands both at the outset of priestly service under the Law and at the culmination of the Adamic order as it is exposed. In both settings, it bears the same testimony: joining within the natural order remains external and provisional.

Yet when John beholds the foundations of New Jerusalem, the carbuncle is absent entirely (Revelation 21:19–20). Its omission declares that what once functioned through outward attachment finds no independent place in the eternal structure.

External Joining Under the Levitical Order

Though the tribe of Levi was separated for tabernacle service, only the lineage of Aaron was appointed to the priesthood. This distinction itself testified to the nature of external joining under the Law. Priestly identity was determined by physical descent and ceremonial appointment rather than inward transformation. One became a priest by birth, not by regeneration.

As a result, death continually interrupted the priesthood:

“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.” (Hebrews 7:23)

Though set apart for sacred service, the Levites possessed no inheritance among the tribes. The Lord Himself became their portion:

“Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)

This arrangement testified to a profound truth: the priesthood pointed toward an inheritance in God Himself. Yet under the Law, this reality remained external. The Levites served God in sacred duty but did not enter beyond the veil—joined to holy service, yet separated from the holiest place.

Internal Union Through Spiritual Birth

What the Levitical order could only prefigure, the new covenant provides through internal union. Natural descent gives way to spiritual rebirth. Jesus declared to Nicodemus:

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)

Priestly identity is no longer inherited through lineage but imparted through regeneration: 

“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

Paul describes this union plainly:

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

This joining operates at the level of spirit, not ceremony. Believers are not merely associated with Christ; they are incorporated into Him:

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Ephesians 5:30)

Why the Carbuncle Does Not Transfer

The verdict is clear: external attachment has been surpassed by internal union.

The carbuncle represented joining through natural descent, visible ordinance, and mediated service—each necessary within the shadowed order, yet none sufficient for eternal foundation. When substance arrives, shadow yields its place. External attachment gives way to inward participation. Ceremonial joining is fulfilled through shared life.

The carbuncle does not transfer because what it signified has been fulfilled in Christ—not refined, but transformed. Life is now joined to life, spirit to spirit, the many made one in Him.

The Diamond: Hardness Removed, Truth Fulfilled

The Diamond’s Positions

In Exodus 28:18, the diamond occupies the sixth position, appearing as the third stone of the second row, bearing the name of Zebulun. The Hebrew yāhălōm (Strong’s H3095) derives from a root meaning “to strike” or “to hammer,” an apt description of the gem long associated with extreme hardness. This stone represented Zebulun, whose name Zebûlûn (Strong’s H2074) carries the sense of “dwelling” or “habitation.”

The juxtaposition is instructive. A dwelling is intended to receive, contain, and give rest. Yet hardness defines the diamond’s essential character—unyielding, resistant, impervious. When hardness governs habitation, what should receive instead resists. The dwelling becomes fortified rather than indwelt.

In Ezekiel 28:13, the diamond appears again, now third among the nine stones covering the anointed cherub. Its movement from the sixth position in Exodus to a prominent position under judgment does not signify advancement, but exposure. Hardness is brought fully into view, carried through the Adamic order and set before divine scrutiny. The placement reveals not endurance, but manifestation—resistance exposed rather than preserved.

Revelation 21 confirms the verdict. When the twelve foundations of New Jerusalem are revealed, the diamond is absent (Revelation 21:19–20). What once bore testimony within the shadowed order finds no independent place in the eternal structure.

The Dual Witness of Diamond

Diamond’s defining characteristic—its hardness—bears a twofold testimony. This dual witness explains why the diamond does not transfer into the eternal foundations. What must be removed cannot remain; what it pointed toward finds fulfillment elsewhere.

Hardness as Resistance: The Stony Heart Removed

Scripture identifies hardness as resistance to inward inscription. Through Jeremiah, the Lord declares:

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars.” (Jeremiah 17:1)

The image is decisive. What is hard enough to engrave transgression permanently is also too hard to receive righteousness. Stone bears record, but not life.

God’s solution is not refinement of hardness, but its removal:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

What the Law engraved externally upon stone is replaced by what God writes inwardly:

“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

Paul confirms the transformation:

“Not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” (2 Corinthians 3:3)

This transformation was promised under the old covenant but could not be accomplished through it:

“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:29)

The removal of hardness is not refinement but replacement. Stone gives way to flesh, external commandment to internal life, resistance to reception.

Hardness and the Word: Resistance Without Root

Hardness also manifests as resistance to the Word itself. Jesus declared:

“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)

In the parable of the sower, the consequence is made plain:

“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matthew 13:20–21)

Stony ground allows surface reception but prevents depth. The Word may be heard, yet it cannot take root where hardness limits penetration. What should be a dwelling becomes a barrier. Reception without transformation yields no abiding fruit.

Permanence Fulfilled: Truth in Christ

Yet to halt at hardness’s negative witness would truncate the testimony. The diamond’s impervious nature also speaks of permanence. What cannot be broken testifies, in shadow, to what cannot be destroyed.

Scripture attributes such permanence not to stone, but to God’s Word:

“The word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

What the diamond symbolized, Christ embodies:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Thus the positive witness of diamond—unchanging permanence—is not preserved in stone, but fulfilled in a Person.

Why the Diamond Does Not Transfer

The verdict is complete and twofold.

Negatively, hardness of heart must be removed. What resists God’s inscription cannot remain where His law is written within. The stony heart yields to a heart of flesh.

Positively, what diamond testified to in shadow—unchanging truth—is fulfilled perfectly in Christ. Permanence is no longer represented; it is embodied.

The stone yields to the Person. External hardness gives way to inward life. Shadow fulfills its purpose by yielding to substance.

Looking Toward Part 2

Through the carbuncle and the diamond, we have witnessed two necessary acts of refinement. External attachment, once expressed through lineage and ceremony, has been surpassed by internal union in Christ. Hardness of heart, which bore the record of sin and resisted God’s inscription, has been removed, while the permanence it symbolized finds fulfillment in Him who is the Truth.

These two stones establish a decisive pattern: elements that belong solely to the natural order—however purposeful within the shadow—cannot constitute eternal foundation. When substance arrives, such representations must either give way entirely or be fulfilled beyond themselves.

Yet not every stone resolves in the same manner. Some aspects of the former order are not merely removed, but transformed. Others mark a condition that reaches its appointed end and does not recur.

In Part 2, we will examine the onyx and the agate. Onyx, which once bore names externally upon stone, does not transfer independently into the foundations of New Jerusalem, yet reappears transformed within sardonyx—testifying that what was once borne outwardly is now written inwardly. Agate, associated with wrestling under the natural order, appears only within the Law’s testimony and then vanishes, declaring that striving reaches its terminus when rest is entered.

Together, these stones will complete the witness begun in Part 1, showing that God’s refining work does not merely remove what cannot abide, but also transforms what He intends to carry forward into eternal reality.

— To Be Continued in Part 2 —