I started thinking last night (sometimes a dangerous thing & not conducive to sleep!) about stress and all the platitudes that are told to those enduring difficulties. One saying that came to mind is "it takes a lot of pressure to turn coal into diamonds."
Hmmmm.... well, naturally, since I have worked in the jewelry industry and have some small knowledge of diamonds, my mind started wandering... The diamond is the most highly regarded of gemstones. The fewer flaws in the stone, the higher the quality of the gem. Usually a diamond of highest quality stands on its own in some sort of solitaire mounting so no lower quality gemstones detract from its beauty. This is an industry standard and is usually the preferred method of presenting precious diamonds.
So, if one assumes the pressure/coal/diamond as a metaphor for one's struggles with stress and difficulties, what is one really trying to say? Apparently this type of comparison is meant, in most cases, to make the sufferer feel like there is some kind of payoff for one's pain and trials. If only one knows in the end that the pressure will make one a genuine, one-of-a-kind, precious "gemstone" of a person, then one can hang on and not give in to despair. But what if one truly applies the metaphor and finds oneself as similar to a diamond as possible after all of one's struggles - mounted in precious metal, stuck fast, and displayed in a solitary existence for others to appreciate and admire but never truly loved for one's flaws and imperfections?

Just a thought....