I am fascinated with the way someone can take a chunk of stone and a chisel and turn that lifeless stone into a work of art. Michelangelo once said, “I saw the angel in the stone and carved until I set him free.” What a beautiful image – making visible that which was buried.
Stone seems to me so hard and unyielding yet under the hands of the master sculptor it melts into the most intricate detail and astounding beauty.
Stone seems to me so hard and unyielding yet under the hands of the master sculptor it melts into the most intricate detail and astounding beauty.
Sometimes I've stood in front of a statue and wondered how long it took to create … how steady a hand must have held the chisel to achieve such fine detail … what sort of patience was needed to finish the work?
Michelangelo's was just 26 years old and the highest paid sculptor at the time when he created his most famous sculpture of David. He carved it out of one massive piece of marble which had been discarded by two previous sculptors. When Michelangelo finally began his work, the marble had been waiting 40 years for someone capable of turning it into a masterpiece. It took him almost three years and during that time he slept sparingly and took little time out to eat. Three years of patience, perseverance and attention to detail.
Michelangelo's was just 26 years old and the highest paid sculptor at the time when he created his most famous sculpture of David. He carved it out of one massive piece of marble which had been discarded by two previous sculptors. When Michelangelo finally began his work, the marble had been waiting 40 years for someone capable of turning it into a masterpiece. It took him almost three years and during that time he slept sparingly and took little time out to eat. Three years of patience, perseverance and attention to detail.
It reminds me of Paul's words, "Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives". 2 Corinthians 3:3
Michelangelo spent 3 years chiseling stone into a man. God is taking our lifetime to carve our life into something that reflects him. The deep crevices of our pain and suffering ... the indents of regret and disappointments ... the stresses of failure, along with all the highlights of our love, generosity, kindness and grace, are being worked together by the Spirit to make us into the image of his son.
You are God's masterpiece!
Michelangelo spent 3 years chiseling stone into a man. God is taking our lifetime to carve our life into something that reflects him. The deep crevices of our pain and suffering ... the indents of regret and disappointments ... the stresses of failure, along with all the highlights of our love, generosity, kindness and grace, are being worked together by the Spirit to make us into the image of his son.
You are God's masterpiece!
Just had to add this wood carving - the woman in the tree. Making visible what is invisible.
Public domain image.
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