The Studies
Dust to Diamonds
Bro Ron Houben (NZ)
The Bible reminds us that we are made of the dust of the ground—fragile, mortal, and subject to weakness. Yet God’s purpose is not to leave His servants as they are. Through faith, obedience, and the refining experiences of life, He is shaping character fit for His Kingdom. Like carbon transformed into a diamond under pressure and heat, believers are refined through trial, discipline, and endurance. Scripture shows that suffering is not meaningless, but a divine tool used by God to produce faith, patience, and hope. Ultimately, God promises to change these bodies of dust into something incorruptible and glorious at the resurrection. Dust to Diamonds explores how God works patiently and purposefully in our lives—transforming humble beginnings into eternal value, as He prepares a people for immortality in His coming Kingdom.
Paul the Aged - The Untold Story
Brother Ken Whitehead
Sister Sue and I are excited to be with you all at the 2026 Silver Strands event, God willing.
One subject which has fascinated me recently (as I get older..!) is the study of the movements and writings of the Apostle Paul during and between his two imprisonments in Rome. At that time he describes himself as “Paul the aged” - yet his enthusiasm and activity in the Lord’s work seems undiminished by the passing years. In fact the urgency of his labours increases as the end draws near.
Our studies will look at the very personal messages and exhortations from Paul’s letters to Philemon, Titus and 2Timothy in particular, filling out the approximately five years between his two confinements in Rome. It is a largely untold journey, not recorded in the book of Acts. But by using the available references and inferences in his epistles, together with some fairly reliable historians - and the application of a little reverent imagination - we will see the great, aging Apostle diligently travelling, writing and encouraging his brethren all over the Roman world. He wasn’t one to slow down.
Paul sought to motivate them and leave them with lasting memories and impressions after he was gone. So finally he places before them his own grand, clear vision of the great crown of righteousness set before him. He shares that hope with every brother and sister who loves the Lord’s appearing. May that wonderful crown be laid up for every one of us, too.
Bro Ron and Sis Catherine Houben
