Sculpted to Perfection

Good Morning,

Have you ever seen a series of wood carvings that start with the block of wood and finally reveal the finished work? Perhaps you have noticed that even part way through the process a clear picture of the end result is not always easy to see. The transformation from beginning to end is remarkable. Raw material in the hands of a master craftsman undergoes dramatic changes.

To create a work of art requires the use of many different tools and techniques. Sometimes a very delicate touch is required.  Other times significant force is needed to make big changes. All along, the craftsman has the end product clearly in mind and knows what it takes to bring it about. I’m sure if that piece of wood could talk it would tell us that the transformation process it was undergoing was not always pleasant.  In the end though, it is changed into something completely new and beautiful.

Ever feel like a piece of wood?  Our lives are being shaped by the ultimate Master Craftsman.  Sometimes the process requires Him to use significant force to make large changes in our character.  Other times He gently sculpts us with precise, skillful  stokes. No matter, He always works with a clear picture of the finished product in mind. 

It can often be difficult to see where the process of shaping is taking us. We must remember what we know about the character of God and trust that He is constantly redeeming our lives for His ultimate purpose.  The process never stops. He never wastes a single season of our lives. Let me repeat that: He NEVER wastes a single season of our lives.

Even today, your life is being shaped to perfection.

But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me I will come forth as gold.  Job 23:10 NIV

Because he knows the road on which I travel, when he had tested me, I'll come out like gold.  Job 23:10 ISV

Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein