Short and sweet thought for the week…
When we were at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, I was mesmerized by the artwork. The basilica’s interior is elaborately decorated with frescoes in the dome and huge paintings hanging on the walls. Imagine my surprise, finding out these “paintings” are not paintings at all. They are actually mosaics. Each has a myriad of tiny tesserae (little pieces of glass) painstakingly and intricately put together. When we got very, very close we could barely see these minute fragments of glass. However, when we stood back, we could see the beautiful results of what creative craftsmen had put together from broken pieces.
A little research reveals that mosaics were first developed around 3000 B.C. by the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia. The Egyptians and the Greeks adopted the technique, and later, the Romans created even more elaborate mosaic designs that skilled artisans used in larger patterns that actually looked like paintings.
What most people don’t know is that God is the greatest artisan of all! He takes the broken pieces of our lives and puts them together in an intricate design to form a beautiful masterpiece. We humbly offer our broken hearts, bodies, and souls to Him (Psalm 51:17). Then He lovingly makes a new creation, a mosaic out of the old chards of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our new lives in Christ make us valuable works of art (Ephesians 2:10).
That alone would give us reason to praise God, but then He goes way above and beyond. He replaces our ashes with a crown of beauty. He replaces our mourning with the oil of joy. He replaces our sadness with a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3).
Our spiritual mosaics are still being formed today. God continues to combine all our experiences into a bigger picture. It is comforting to know that God has begun a good work in us and will faithfully complete it (Philippians 1:6)!
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite
heart–These, O God, You will not despise.” ~Psalm 51:17
