Many of us have never heard of Jason Priestly. But he has a very important place in the history of our planet. His contribution is very important to the world of the automobile. All of us who are involved in motorsports owe Mr. Priestly our thanks. You see, Jason Priestly was the first person to develop a method of manufacturing rubber from the sap of the rubber tree. He found that the product he invented was great for rubbing out mistakes. As he searched for additional uses, Jason found that the rubber product he had invented was much too unstable. At a cool temperature his invention was brittle and would easily break into pieces. In addition, if it got heated, the rubber pieces would melt. Mr. Priestly continued his research but could not find a way to improve on the product he had discovered.
That is where a second person enters the picture. This man’s name is more familiar. I would be quite certain that everyone has heard of Charles Goodyear. Mr. Goodyear continued experimenting with the product that Jason Priestly had invented. After much tinkering, Mr. Goodyear happened upon a very important discovery. If sulphur was added during the manufacturing process, the rubber became much more stable. The product, when cool, was now flexible where once it was brittle. In addition, it would withstand higher temperatures before it would melt. From this discovery, Mr. Goodyear was able to begin the process of improvement in tires and wheels which continues to this day. What once was constructed of wood or metal, was now covered with rubber. Not only was traction improved, but because of rubber’s flexibility, bumps in the road were less severe, so speed of transportation could be increased.
Is there a lesson for us from this story? I believe so. What if no one had tried to improve on the product Jason Priestly had discovered? What if we treated every problem as a dead end? What if God gave up on us? What if he saw all of our mistakes and sins and just left us to our own demise? Philippians 1:6 says “And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.” (TLB)
I am thankful that God has not given up on me in the year 2003 and will not give up on me in 2004. He will continue helping me to grow until I can finally be with Him in heaven.
PS – A scientist at 3M company was very disappointed in the glue he had invented. No matter how he tried to improve it, the glue was never sticky enough to hold any weight. With any resistance at all, the glue would not hold. That weak glue led the way to another of our modern products – the Post-it note.
