In the Hands of the Master

In high school art class, I remember studying the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo. Most of us are probably familiar with his finished works, like the David or the Pietà. You’re probably less familiar with the steps needed to create these masterpieces. In the beginning, things look haphazard and rough. Crude chisel marks scar the chunk of marble. The final form and shapes are only implied and suggested. At a passing glance, it is hard to see or imagine anything special coming out of this. Yet if you ask someone to describe one of Michelangelo’s finished works, there is a reason he is considered a master. His artworks are something beyond our imagination.

Are we not like these chunks of roughly hewn marble? At times we and/or others only see the roughness, failing to see how God is masterfully working us towards something beautiful. We are impatient; wanting to jump ahead to the finish; wanting to control the end result. Just as it’s an absurd idea for a piece of rock to instruct the artist what to do or what the end result should be, we too need to let God shape us. Our God is the master, the artist. We might not always like what we see. Let God finish the good work that He has started in us. Find contentment in knowing that God is at work, making us into something beautiful.