[It would be wonderful if everyone who came to church had a piece of colored glass taped to their bulletin or pew. Rosecraft makes these and they're very cheap. They even look like pirate's jewels and were made to help you create treasure chests. The more you can ritualize the features of this sermon, the better.]

It was discovered 26 January 1906, lying above ground, one of thousands of stones heaped into a great pile of slag. The refuse-rock from the mining operations of the Premier Diamond Mine tended to accumulate in huge heaps before anyone ever got around to sifting it.

As John Cullinan walked through the slag fields, surveying the mine's output, a dazzling glint – like a mirror used as a Morse-code signal suddenly flashed in the hot South African sun. Slowly, deliberately, Cullina…