The Man Immured In Rock
 by Rev. Robert J. Hermley
                                                                                                                            

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In the Academia in Florence, Italy, not too far from the famous statue of David, there are four statues of men left unfinished by the great hand of the sculptor, Michelangelo.  Perhaps he left them undone to illustrate his point that "Every block of marble contained a statue."  At any rate, in each case one can easily imagine the half-finished man shoving off the excess marble and emerging from the block in which he is entombed.  One can almost feel the man struggling to free himself from the heaviness that surrounds him - fighting to stand there alone, unaided, polished and perfect.

We, too, are imperfect masterpieces being carved daily by the hand of the immortal Sculptor, God Himself.  He chisels away the excess of selfishness and sin that surrounds our lives; then He polishes the finished product.  This cutting process hurts; His polishing, at times, is abrasive.  But if we let Him do His work with us, we can be transformed into the most beautiful piece of art the world has ever seen.

The trouble is, that we resist His transformation of our lives.  We cry out that it is painful; and so, we remain immured in rock - held down by earthly, weighty sins.  Unfortunately if we resist long enough, He may just leave us that way - unfinished, unpolished masses of cold stone.

O God, how great we could truly be if only we let You have Your Way.