A few years ago I was relaxing in the garden on a sunny day, when I noticed something shining brightly in the grass near my feet.

At first, I wondered if it might be a lost diamond, fallen from a ring. Looking more closely, I realised it was “only” a drop of dew on a blade of grass, brightly reflecting the sun’s rays.

However, rather than being disappointed that it wasn’t a diamond, I was filled with joy that something so simple could be so precious, and I experienced a profound feeling of gratitude and praise of God, creator of such amazing beauty.

How often do we take for granted such simple yet astonishing gifts from the remarkable world and universe around us?

Are we too preoccupied with the humdrum realities of daily duties; too depressed by the folly of politicians; too overwhelmed by the tragedies of war and disease?

Obviously, we cannot and should not pretend that the negatives don’t exist; but on the other hand, we can and should choose to adjust our focus to take more notice of the wonders around us, and give thanks to the One who made them.

I love that quotation from Oscar Wilde: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

King David had a similar thought when he wrote in Psalm 8: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"

People quite rightly ask, does God care for us? The answer given by St Paul in Romans 5:8 is that: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

In other words, God took on human form as Jesus Christ and took upon himself the punishment that we all deserve for our sins.

He died but rose again to share his new, eternal life with us. Let us keep thanking God for his amazing, unconditional love; for His beautiful creation; for all the good things that people do; and for his everyday miracles - like diamonds in the grass.