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Diamonds start out as lumps of coal and are tempered by enormous heat and pressure to become something of great value.
Likewise, author J. Robert Boggs believes, some people face great obstacles and difficulties and, through faith, not only survive, but also thrive and inspire others.
Boggs, 81, of Warsaw, has collected stories of these inspirational people for three years and recently published a book, a collection of short stories about what he calls "in spite of" people - those who "never give in, give up or quit."
Or, as Boggs' wife of two years, Jodie, puts it: "How people went through the fire and how God helped them."
Several of the short stories are by Warsaw residents: Dr. Frank J. Beard wrote about how a childhood vacation Bible school changed his life; Boggs wrote about a trip to Montana; Carol Huffer wrote about divine intervention at a critical time in her life; and Jodie Boggs wrote about love and about how to survive a marriage in which one spouse is a believer and the other spouse is not.
The cover of the book features a photo by Winona Lake's Al Disbro.
The book also includes a review of and excerpts from President George W. Bush's book, "A Charge To Keep," which Boggs said he read during Bush's campaign and again last fall, and decided he wanted to include some of Bush's book in his own book.
"You don't know what you can do and what you can't do until you try," he said, and, through communicating with Bush's book publisher and paying $150 for the rights to use excerpts, was able to include a chapter on "A Charge To Keep."
Boggs is not new to writing or publishing. In 1994 he wrote "I'll Move Over: The Story of a Great Love," about his family's experiences with his first wife's Alzheimer's disease and subsequent death. He said Thursday he still gets requests for that book and has 600 copies left.
"Black Coal Into Diamonds" was shipped to Boggs from the publisher Wednesday. The cost is $14.95 for a paperback copy and $19.95 for a hardback book. Boggs can be reached at Boggs Books, P.O. Box 718, Winona Lake, IN 46590, or via e-mail at joandjoboggs@yahoo.com
He and Jodie stay in the Warsaw area from spring to October or November, at which time they winter in Florida.
