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The Heart of A Gem Taking a Royal Stance Dear Gems, Are you willing to stand up for what you believe in? Even if it is something small, we should take a stance. When I was younger, my small group of friends met a young woman that I felt wasn’t a good influence. She is what you call a diamond imitation. With good reason I refused to be a part of her schemes. But by refusing to be her friend, I found myself on my own. I couldn’t back down because I felt that I would be betraying myself to keep my friends and to avoid confrontation. I wanted to be myself. Don’t get me wrong, it was not easy. It brought me to a painful realization when the girls I called friends stopped hanging around me. This happened once before. You would think that maybe I got the hang of it, but standing on your own is no easy feat no matter how many times you do it. If you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything. And that’s what my friends did, fall for any and everything. Standing up for what you believe in shows exactly what kind of person you really are. Do you have a line of diamonds for a spine, or nothing at all? One thing about diamonds is that they still radiate brilliance even when they’re standing alone. - Nickel Stone Nickel Stone is a local college student and Heart of a Gem contributor. 40 | Royal & Radiant Magazine