The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was once asked how he created sculptures such as the Pietas or David. He explained that he simply imagined the statue already inside the block of rough marble, then chipped away the excess to reveal what had always been there.

The marvelous statue, already created and eternally present, was waiting to be revealed. “You shall remember the entire road on which God, your Lord, led you these forty years in the Wilderness so as to afflict you, to test you, to know what is in your heart, whether you would observe His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

The testing is not for God. We can assume He already knows.

The knowing is not God’s. He knows.

The testing is for us to find the marvelous human being that is hidden inside. The knowing is for us to know the priceless, eternal beauty we carry within. The afflictions are simply the way God chips away at the excess, allowing us to discover our own greatness.

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