In 1501 Michaelangelo was given a huge block of marble weighing over six tons. It had been rejected by a fellow Sculptor who had seen blemishes in the rock. But MIchaelangelo had a vision in his mind of the young man David, before attacking Goliath, and he was saying to himself, “I’ve got to get David out of that rock!” It took him three years, and the finished sculpture is a remarkable work of art, some 14 feet tall, which is housed in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, Florence.
We are a bit like that blemished chunk of rock, and who would believe what God has in mind when He patiently carves us out of it, and makes us what He has in mind as the finished product. Yes, God has visions of His finished products, and He “He who begins a good work in us will complete it in the Day of Christ”. (Phil.1:6.)
But there is a lesson here for us. God sees in His mind’s eye the finished product. But God has not given us the final vision of people, so we are not to blame for that. But as we live amongst “unfinished products” here on earth we have a horrid tendency to see the “blemishes” in people rather than the wonderful final works of art. We evaluate people in the unfinished condition because we don’t have the vision of the final product. But to know what God is driving at, what He is doing with people as they travel through the vicissitudes of life, should help us to overlook the blemishes, and assist God in His workmanship by being kind, compassionate, understanding, and forgiving. Those who receive such beneficent treatment from us will more than likely assist in our development, rather than see our own blemishes. Just a thought for the day.
