Creating . . art

(The rest of this week will come from the "Imago Dei" label, originally posted January 2013)

"It began as part of a mountain in Italy.  Then one day a workman came along and began chiseling out a block of marble.  Using his discerning eye and powerful hands and arms, he worked for weeks.  When the block was finally hewn from the mountain, another man with a horse-drawn wagon hauled it to Florence.  A third fellow bought the stone and had it put on a pedestal in his studio.  That man was Michelangelo.  As he went about his other work, the artist would often pause to gaze at the immense, flawed block.  Perhaps months later, Michelangelo saw what lay hidden in the stone.  Finally, he picked up his hammer and chisel and began to reveal it.  Today we call what was once a buried chunk of marble a priceless masterpiece -The David."   Discipling Nations

That buried chunk of stone was worthless to people.  Then three individuals (in this story) applied their effort and intelligence and genius to the stone, and the original material (it was always in there) now had huge value, huge worth.  That value, that wealth of beauty, was created by people.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien says, ". . we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker."  J. R. R. TOLKIEN, On Fairy-Stories

So we are able to create . . because we are created . . by our Creator . . to be like Him.