It’s said that the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo never knew what he was going to sculpt when he started. When a piece of marble was delivered to him, he would examine it, and he would envision the form trapped inside it, waiting to be revealed with his hammer and chisel. With the eyes of artistic faith, he saw beauty and majesty where most of us would just see a hunk of rock.
God sees great beauty and potential in each of us. He sees His own image deep within us, put there at creation, even when we are in rebellion against Him. He restores us to what He made us to be, patiently and lovingly working in us until our true beauty is revealed.
He also calls us to be His co-creators – His agents in the work of restoration. As we interact with our spouses, our children, our colleagues, or even just the people standing next to us in line, we are not called to see them as they are. We are called to see them with His eyes, recognizing the beauty and value within, and gently, as co-heirs of God’s grace, helping them to be brought back to His original design.
This applies, too, as we work with men and women behind bars. The world sees them as “hunks of rock,” with nothing to offer and no potential. God sees them completely differently. He sees His image within them, and He saw it as worthwhile to sacrifice His Son for them.
Let’s take up the mantle of co-creators. Let’s put our hope in the unseen, extending to others the same sacrificial love we have received ourselves! As we do, God will reveal His masterpieces of grace.