#iCONVICTION

It was around this time last year that I anxiously awaited my release from state prison. After serving four-and-a-half years, I had no idea what to expect beyond the walls that I had come to know so well. Countless inmates had told me to never get used to the dismal setting on the inside; but I realized early on that, like a diamond, I must accept the setting the jeweler chooses for me.
I write figuratively in using a diamond and its setting to explain my motivation for accepting my imprisonment as the catalyst for my future freedom. The setting that “holds” you can very well be the setting that eventually displays you. A diamond with the right setting is a diamond that makes an impression.
Last July was actually one of the hardest times, even though it was the closest month to my release, and all because of a prison break that put my entire unit on lockdown. It was the day before the Fourth of July, and a fellow inmate decided to take Independence Day to a whole new level.
As a consequence of his fateful decision to declare physical freedom for himself, we were all subjected to 24-hour shakedowns and degrading strip-searches. In fact, I was strip-searched more times in that final month than in the entire four-and-a-half years. 
It was a very uneasy time due to everyone’s emotions and frustrations, which were running high. Prisoners and officials alike were caught up in the unstable tension. To be locked up is one type of animal, but to be on lockdown while locked up is an entirely different beast. 
I bring up this time in my life to encourage the individual who thinks his circumstances are hopeless, and the one who believes that no good can come from such bad; to uplift the person who imagines she is so close to the resolution, yet feels so far away. 
Consider my life and story to see how every setting and every setback can, in fact, be the setup that God desires to use for His glory. I cannot erase my past, but forgiveness has erased my guilt and shame. God specializes in recycling good from evil and creating beauty from ashes. I accepted my setting early on, and I still appreciate it even today.
The shakedowns and strip-downs that I experienced in this month last year right before my release were nothing more than the necessary tests to make sure the diamond did not come loose. Using another appropriate analogy, the final pressurized month was simply the last phase of metamorphosis. After many days encapsulated in the tiny shell of the chrysalis, a butterfly is ready to emerge.  
God will use every bit of space in your situation to refine you and define Him.  He proves His love through our pain. He grants us purpose through our problems.  He will reveal Himself through the person who allows Him to do so. 
Matthew Maher is a former professional athlete and author of the newly- released book “U MAY B THE ONLY BIBLE SOMEBODY READS: R U LEGIBLE?” His “Decisions Determine Destiny” assemblies are funded by State Farm and service youth in the tri-state area. He served four years and seven months in N.J. State prison and was released August 2014. You can learn more at www.themattmaherstory.com, where his blogs have been read by over 500,000 people in every state, 121 countries, and in 67 different languages. Follow him on Twitter @mattmaherstory and on Instagram @matthewmaher7