The Chisel

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3 ESV).

Michaelangelo was one of the great Renaissance artists. He is responsible for many of the world’s great treasures. He was not only a brilliant painter but also a world-class architect, poet, and sculptor. Some of his designs were so far ahead of his time that it would be centuries before they could be appreciated. There are many little facts about him that go relatively unnoticed. In the book In Your Own Words, Michelangelo is quoted as having said that he "used to imagine that every block of stone he set out to carve contained a fully formed statue waiting to be released. All he had to do was chip away everything that wasn't statue, and there it would be, a horse, an angel, a beautiful woman, or a tiny cherub."

Michelangelo's vision for each piece of art allowed him to see what it could be. Others looking at that cold block of stone might have seen nothing and given up. But Michelangelo saw the beauty of "what could be" and patiently chipped off pieces and smoothed off rough edges to create the image he envisioned.

It is a beautiful picture of what God has been patiently doing with us ever since we became Christians. When we accept Christ as our Savior, God takes us just as we are, like blocks of stone. But He loves us too much to leave us the way He found us. He sees through our hard surface. He gently chisels away the jagged edges of our character that are ugly and out of place. He lovingly polishes the rough surfaces until He sees the beauty of His own image in us.

Don't think it strange when you desire to serve God and then seem to encounter a severe time of testing. God's purpose at every juncture of testing is to make the person more valuable. Did you know that a $5.00 bar of steel cut into ordinary horseshoes is worth about $10.00? Or, that same bar of steel cut into needles is worth $350.00? Or, that same bar of steel cut into delicate springs for watches becomes worth $250,000.00? Next time you get discouraged at what God is putting you through, think of that bar of steel!

After a very difficult time in his life, a friend of mine, Michael James Murphy, wrote the song, The Chisel. The lyrics tell of his story yielding to the reshaping of God’s hand in his life. In the chorus he sings, “… bring on the chisel.” It is a strong declaration of faith when we decide to put ourselves in the hands of God, knowing that some of the things he allows into our lives will be difficult and certainly bring about change. However it is the only way to truly be all that God wants us to be and then achieve true success. So go ahead, choose to let Him chip away anything that mars the perfection of the masterpiece He's creating in you. After all, He's the Sculptor and we're His work in progress!