re = /\*([^\*]+?)\*(?!\*)/m
str = 'Lorem *ipsum dolor* sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio repellat ipsa quibusdam ab doloremque accusamus nobis *minima maiores** voluptas, incidunt rerum alias, aliquam ut minus consequatur odio voluptatibus voluptates exercitationem.
'
subst = '<strong>$1</strong>'
result = str.gsub(re, subst)
# Print the result of the substitution
puts result
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for Ruby, please visit: http://ruby-doc.org/core-2.2.0/Regexp.html