by Colonel Julie Anne Louden
Territorial Leader for Leader Development
In Florence there is the magnificent sculpture of David created by Michelangelo at the age of 26. He picked up a chisel and dared to believe that he could complete this masterpiece. He never left his project for more than two years; he worked and slept beside the six-ton marble slab whose subject called to him from the unchiseled places. When, at last, the 17-foot David emerged, Michelangelo reportedly said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” When asked how he made the statue, Michelangelo said it was easy—he just chipped away the stone that did not look like David.
God wants to chisel us out of the hard places in which we’ve buried ourselves, from under the labels or masks behind which we’ve hidden. He wants us to find release from the dark places and the pain we have carried for so long. He wants us to be free! God carves the hard places so we can come into the light of who He designed us to be. God is shaping us, making us new. It is beautiful when the Master works.
God’s Word tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God. Not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10, NASB).
The imagery of Michelangelo chiseling away at the marble to reveal David is a vivid metaphor for how God works in our lives. Just as Michelangelo saw the potential within the marble and tirelessly worked to set it free, God sees our true selves and is committed to forming us into who we are meant to be. The analogy of God chiseling away at our hard places to reveal His true design for our lives is powerful and comforting. It reminds us that we are each a work in progress, being transformed, shaped and refined for a greater purpose.
The passage from Ephesians underscores this. It emphasizes that our worth and ability to do good works is not from our efforts but from God’s grace and craftsmanship. We’re created with purpose, and God’s work in us prepares us for the good works He has in store. This message can be especially powerful when we feel overwhelmed or stuck. It’s reassuring to know that, like Michelangelo with his marble, God is patient and persistent in His work on us, chiseling away what’s not needed to reveal our true, purposeful selves.
