Earthly crowns are like tennis-balls!

(Thomas Brooks, "A Word in Season to Suffering Saints")

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away!" 1 Peter 5:4

A crown is the height of human ambition. Yet earthly crowns are as the fading garlands, with which the conquerors at games, races, and combats were crowned - which were made of herbs, leaves, and flowers.

But a believer's crown, his inheritance, his glory, his happiness, his blessedness - shall be as fresh and flourishing after he has been many millions of years in Heaven - as it was at his first entrance into it!

Earthly crowns are like tennis-balls, which are bandied up and down from one to another, and in time wear out.
When time shall be no more,
when earthly crowns and kingdoms shall be no more,
yes, when the world shall be no more -
the Christian's crown of glory shall be fresh, flourishing, and continuing!

All the devils in Hell shall never wrangle a believer out of his heavenly inheritance, nor deprive him of his crown of glory. The least thing in heaven, is better than the greatest things in this world. All things on earth are fading away - but the crown of glory never fades away!