Lesson 158: The Rock
Kentucky Chaplain David Chaltas
The rock caught his eye as he walked by the rock quarry. There was something about that large marble that he could not see but it was there. He was a sculptor and had spent his life looking for that perfect marble to create his masterpiece. One thing he knew was that the rock of marble had potential. After much thought, he decided to purchase the stone.
For many days he looked and pondered upon the lines of the marble. He gazed at the rock with a master’s eye, knowing that within its center lay a treasure. But the vision did not come. He decided to start his work and let the marble guide his chisel. A day turned into a week and then a month. He had painstakingly worked long and hard hours but the vision would not come. Still, there was something there. Was it a deity or animal that inhabited the rock? On he chiseled, reaching a frustration level that amazed those that knew his gentle nature. He could NOT see what was within the heart of the stone. Out of aggravation, he decided to sell the magnificent rock to a fellow sculptor who had admired it when visiting his studio.
This master mason also saw something grand within the center of the gem but try as he might, he could not visualize what lingered in the heart of the stone. He chiseled for days but could not get the stone to reveal its secret. Out of anger, he hit the rock chipping it and finally, he too gave up, ordering the stone to be returned to the quarry.
For forty years the rock remained within the confines of the quarry with people passing by not noticing the grandeur of the marble. One day a youthful man of twenty-six years walked by and glimpsed the stone. He ran to it with delight. He embraced it with a lover’s touch and ordered the men to bring it to his studio that very day. The young man put aside all of his other projects and began working, creating, and bringing the vision from the very heart of the marble.
In his journal Mr. Buonarroti stated that the City Council asked him to carve an image from a nineteen-foot block of marble that was damaged that would represent a figure of the ages. He went on and stated that he “locked himself away in a workshop behind the cathedral, hammering and chiseling at the towering block for three long years.” He became obsessed with the passion of the vision and through the touch of a master’s hand, it became one of the greatest masterpieces known to mankind. The statue was none other that that of David and the artist is known as the greatest within the history of the world: Michelangelo!
The Bible states that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Vision is paramount in building a dream. Some of the main ingredients of a vision are dedication, passion for what you do, and willingness to work towards the goal. And yes, you must have skills. What two other artists could not see within the stone, Michelangelo saw immediately. Even with the scars and defects on the rock, he saw a masterpiece. It reminds me of the Touch of the Master’s Hand and the value within each of us.
Touch of the Master’s Hand
“Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. “What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried, “Who will start bidding for me?’ “A dollar, a dollar then two, only two? Two dollars and who’ll make it three?” “Three dollars, once, three dollars twice, going for three dollars but no, From the room, far back, a gray haired man came forward and picked up the bow, Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, He played a melody pure and sweet as sweet as a caroling angel sings. The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low, said, “What am I bidden for the old violin?” and he held it up with the bow. “A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand and who’ll make it three? Three thousand once; three thousand twice; and going, and gone” said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We do not quite understand. “What changed its worth?” Swift came the reply; ”The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” And many a man with life out of tune and battered and scattered with sin, Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on. He’s “going” once, and ‘going twice, he’s “going and almost gone”. But the Master comes and the foolish crowd never can quite understand The worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought by the Touch of the Master’s Hand.”