“Imagine God is a sculptor, each person is a unique unfinished work of art. If we admit this image, inevitably questions arise around what it would take to complete and beautify the work. We can see how easily we want to impose our own ideas on the process of completion. Frequently we set about in a frantic haste to embellish, to haste into finality to add our own finishing touches to adorn ourselves as we see best. We want to be attractive to behold, to stand out from the crowd to attract interest and notice of others. We convince ourselves that this will somehow make us happy. We seek jewels and adornments, but we seek them not for the sake of beauty. We want to have and to have more, to let others know we have more so that rather than our wishing we had better lives, they can look at us and wish their lives were better.

When we slip into this mode, we miss the fundamentals of much greater importance to see the foundation of the sculpture itself and to see it as unfinished. In prayer, we must learn to recognize that a loving, master sculptor has crafted each human person uniquely. By design, no two works of this sculptor are the same. Rather than chasing after embellishments, a better starting point lies in two important questions. How can I best adorn the face of creation? And how can I best reflect the genius of the sculptor? And thereby shine the splendor of God into the hearts of all those who come into my life. Perhaps not the first questions that come to mind, but they bring us into harmony with the mind of the Almighty.”