Back to the Grind

Growing Daily

I recently took a mosaics course taught by a local artist. My first project featured daisies that I made from thin glass I could easily fashion into petals.

For my second project, I envisioned poppies made from thick red glass. The color was stunning—but shaping it into smooth, rounded petals was difficult. I knew I should ask for help, but I pressed on. When finished, I caught myself explaining the rough edges to another student: “My hands just weren’t strong enough to break the glass smoothly.” I noticed the teacher smiling kindly. She had understood my weakness all along.

So why didn’t I ask her for help? Honestly, because I knew she would send me to the glass grinder. I was afraid to hold the glass against a high-speed spinning wheel. And I didn’t like the whine of glass grinding on metal. I wanted beauty without discomfort.

The spiritual parallel is hard to miss. There are things in ourselves we cannot break or shape on our own. Scripture tells us, “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross” (Malachi 3:3). “…God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (Hebrews 12:10-11).

We resist the grinder, but the discomfort is temporary. The grinding becomes grace as we are shaped for His glory.

- Catherine Reid