1 Ah! many hearts are aching,
We find them everywhere,
Whose cups are filled with sorrow,
Whose homes are filled with care;
When trouble overtakes them,
The world gives them a cuff,
Or sends them to perdition,
Those diamonds in the rough.
Refrain:
The day will soon be over
When digging will be done,
And no more gems be gathered,
So let us all press on;
When Jesus comes to claim us,
And says, “It is enough,”
The diamonds will be shining
No longer in the rough.
2 One day, my precious comrades,
You, too, were lost in sin,
When some one sought your rescue,
And Jesus took you in;
So when you’re tried and tempted
By the scoffer’s keen rebuff,
Remember, O remember,
They’re diamonds in the rough. [Refrain]
3 O there are many diamonds
Long buried in the earth,
We pass them by unnoticed,
But Jesus knows their worth;
He bids us seek and find them,
His message is enough,
He’ll save and sanctify them,
Those diamonds in the rough. [Refrain]
4 There are complaining people
Who say we are too bold,
And then there are still others
Who say we’re after gold;
But they are all mistaken,
We crave no earthly stuff,
But souls of poor lost sinners,
Those diamonds in the rough. [Refrain]
5 While reading through the Bible,
Some wondrous sights we see,
We read of Peter, James, and John,
By the sea of Galilee;
And when the Master called them,
Their work was rude enough,
Yet they were precious diamonds
He gathered in the rough. [Refrain]
6 Now keep your lamps aburning,
The lamps of perfect love,
And unto ev’ry sinner
Point out the way above;
The precious blood of Jesus
Was shed, and that’s enough,
Oh, let us tell them of it,
Those diamonds in the rough. [Refrain]
Source: The Joy Bells of Canaan or Burning Bush Songs No. 2 #27