God’s Masterpiece

If you have ever hunted for sea glass at the beach while on vacation, you know that it can be a fun pastime, and sometimes it is hard to find. When you find a piece, it is worth the effort. But have you ever thought about how long it takes to form? According to an article by the science website Geology Page, it can take thirty to forty years, or in some cases, a century.

The saltwater weathers the colored glass and adds to the design, giving it a frosted appearance. Many people use it to make jewelry and other unique art pieces. However, it started much differently. It takes time to be a finished and stunning work of art. It likely began as a jagged piece of broken glass from a beverage bottle or other discarded item. You could say it was just a piece of garbage that spent years tumbling around in the water. It was rough around the edges and painful if you cut yourself with it. 

Given our broken nature, this is how we start. Our hearts are rough around the edges, and we cause others pain. Others sometimes discard us as trash, and we end up in a sea of troubled waters. Then God lifts us out of the mire, just as we are. He begins to shape us and smooth out our rough edges. However, like sea glass, it takes time; we are a work in progress – God’s masterpiece. He created us in His image (The Bible. English Standard Version, Gen. 1:27). Although we are not perfect because of sin (Gen. 3:6), He wants us to strive to be more like Jesus.  However, not in our performance (Titus 3:5; Rom. 11:6) but in how we love God and people (Matt. 22:37-39). The Hollman Illustrated Bible Dictionary notes that our good works are insufficient to earn our salvation but will naturally flow from a life of saving faith in Christ (Brand 1669).

Our lives are like shards of brokenness awaiting transformation only accessible through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Like sea glass, sometimes we tumble and fumble around for years before we begin to take shape, as God forms our character and helps us become a beautiful piece of art that the Master delights in blessing so we can be a blessing to others.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17, emphasis added).

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ ” (John 14:6, emphasis added).