This past weekend I had the privilege of witnessing thirty artists carving away at blocks of limestone and soapstone. They worked all weekend in the humid summer heat, creating beautiful pieces of art. It’s incredible to see what they can do with a chisel, mallet, and a block of stone.
I was talking with one of the artists on the first day of the festival and asked him what he was going to create. He told me he wasn’t sure, but the piece is inside the stone block just waiting for him to bring it out. As if that block of stone had an intended purpose / design all along that was crying out to be brought to its potential. I thought that was a really cool perspective.
Similarly, God has a plan for each of us. As we surrender our hearts and minds to be renewed and led by the Holy Spirit, he begins to chip away at the hard stone to create something beautiful. We know from scripture that God is the artist, and we are His masterpiece piece (Eph. 2:10). He has seen the potential within us from the beginning.
As the stone carvers graciously volunteered their time and skills, many people passing by would slow down to watch the artists at work. There was a demonstration booth where anyone could pick up a chisel and try his/her hand at carving. It was amazing to see the kindness and smiles being exchanged.
To top it off, the auction raised over $8,000 for the Innercity Arts program! I want to give a huge thank you to Danny and Hali Barber for organizing this event year after year, thank you to all the carvers, to everyone that bid on the carvings (congratulations to the winning bidders), and to all the other sponsors that helped to make this event the success that it was!
~Jordan – Youth Program Coordinator
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