Patiently Making Beautiful Things

Polly and I went to a local pottery place last Friday. It's one of those places where you can buy a piece of pre-made pottery and paint it yourself. I found a piece that I instantly fell in love with because of its deep meaning. While I will share about the significance of that piece in my next blog, I wanted to share a valuable lesson I was reminded of.

More work than expected

Polly and I spent 1 1/2 hours painting. During that time, I completed a base coat of black. It was a bit tedious as I had to ensure that I didn't miss any crevices. There was still much work to be done.

I went back by myself on Monday. The owner told me that I was going to dry brush the rest of the piece. After teaching me the technique, I got to work. I just kept going over the same areas again and again until it was just right. I spent 2 hours and got about half of the piece done with the dry brushing. This means that I have about 2 hours of painting left until I'm finished.

There's a part of me that wishes I could have just slathered some paint on the piece and be done. But if I had done that:

1. It would not look as nice as it could
2. I would not appreciate it as much as I do

It takes patience to get things right. Patience can be difficult but it also helps us develop an appreciation and intimacy for that which we are waiting. This is true of all things in life. While I can be impatient, I recognize the need to be patient and give proper time and attention to certain things.

Poco a poco

In Spanish, this means "little by little." This is the motto of our language school. While we wish we could just suddenly acquire the language with no effort or energy, we recognize that if we did:

1. It would not be as good as it could be
2. We would not appreciate the language as much as we do

It is so satisfying when we grasp something new that we learn. I came to Costa Rica with essentially no Spanish knowledge. I didn't know grammar rules or very much vocabulary at all. Yesterday, I set up a Duolingo account to help me practice. To start, it had me take a placement test. It advanced me past 28 skills (which each include numerous lessons). That was a huge encouragement to me.

We are a work in progress

God created me. God created you. And what's amazing is that God isn't finished with us. He is constantly working on us, reshaping us and perfecting us for His glory. It was/is our own sin that caused/causes us to need to be worked on in the first place, but in His love, grace and mercy, He patiently works on us.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." What a great promise for those who are in Christ Jesus!

This is great news to me! I'm so happy that God was/is will to be patient with me because I need all the patience I can get. And I'm so happy that God is patient with the Ticos, to whom He has called us to work.

This idea brings to mind a song by one of my favorite bands Gungor called "Beautiful Things"