Isaiah 54:11

Not only what is visible in the church of God, but also what is unseen, is beautiful and precious. Foundations are out of sight, and as long as they are firm, it is not typically expected that they also be valuable; but in Jehovah’s work, everything is consistent, nothing is done carelessly, nothing is inferior.

The deep foundations of the work of grace are as precious as sapphires; no human mind is able to measure their glory. We build upon the covenant of grace, which is firmer than adamant and as enduring as jewels that time cannot diminish. Sapphire foundations are eternal, and the covenant endures as long as the Almighty exists.

Another foundation is the person of the Lord Jesus, which is clear and spotless, everlasting and beautiful as the sapphire; blending in one the deep blue of earth’s ever-rolling ocean and the azure of its all-embracing sky. At one time, our Lord might have been compared to the ruby when he stood covered with his own blood, but now we see him radiant with the soft blue of love, love abounding, deep, eternal.

Our eternal hopes are built upon the justice and the faithfulness of God, which are clear and cloudless as the sapphire. We are not saved by a compromise, by mercy defeating justice, or by law suspending its operations; no, we defy the eagle’s eye to detect a flaw in the basis of our confidence—our foundation is of sapphire and will endure the fire.

The Lord himself has laid the foundation of his people’s hopes. It is a matter for serious inquiry whether our hopes are built upon such a basis. Good works and ceremonies are not a foundation of sapphires, but of wood, hay, and stubble; nor are they laid by God, but by our own presumption. Foundations will all be tested before long: woe to him whose lofty tower will come down with a crash because it is built on quicksand. He who is built on sapphires may await storm or fire with equanimity, for he will withstand the test.