When asked about his masterful sculpture of David, Michelangelo explained his simple process of removing everything that doesn’t belong. Everything that wasn’t David had to go!
A massive piece of marble, quarried 50 years earlier and previously rejected by two other master craftsmen, sat in a yard exposed to the elements. Others deemed it too flawed and imperfect to serve any useful purpose. Then came twenty-six-year-old Michelangelo. He gained the approval of the authorities to commission him to bring to life the abandoned piece of marble, which they called “the giant.”
Michelangelo’s preparation began long before the commission. In exchange for creating a wooden crucifix for the Church of Santo Spirito, he was allowed to dissect cadavers, as a way to study human anatomy — a practice that, at the time, was illegal. Lengthy preparatory work was also done long before the actual sculpting began. First, he made sketches, drawings, and small-scale terracotta or wax models. Then, contrary to the practice of his day, he began to work on the head, slowly progressing down the entire body, detailing every muscle and vein.
Everything about the process reflects God’s meticulous work in each of our lives. He takes what other people, even other great people, have discarded as useless. Then, He brings us to life. Starting with the head and our hearts, He works His creative mastery by removing everything that doesn’t belong to the image He had of us before time began.
” … being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6
In Process
How often have you prayed? “Lord take it away. Take away my selfishness and pride. Remove insecurity, fear, and doubt. Every word and thought not aligned with You, remove Lord.” Or am I alone in my frustration with the slow progress of His workmanship within.
After years of preparation, it took Michelangelo almost another 4 years to expose the stone masterpiece that would become Florence’s crowning symbol for the defense of civil liberties, inspiring courage and hope for the nation.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect ...”
1 Corinthians 15:10
God’s work in us becomes far greater than any sculpture, even those of Michelangelo. Piece by piece, layer by layer, He exposes our true nature and our full identity. By His grace, He will never give up on us or quit the process until everything comes to perfection in Christ. When others would abandon us, forgotten in the field of neglect, He sees the value hidden within.
Every tool Michelangelo chose served a purpose, just as God wastes nothing in our lives. Every hardship … every sorrow … every trial works for His good and ours.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Everything that Doesn’t Belong
God never gives up on us! Let’s not give up on ourselves either. If God demonstrates so much grace toward us, may we show ourselves grace as well.
As long as we are alive, we exist in the mucky middle of transition — between what we used to be and what we will one day become with glorified bodies in heaven. Though today we face the agony of process, one day it will be worth every chisel strike and every hammer blow against our old identity of sin and shame.
One day, Beloved! One day, we shall be as He is!
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
1 John 3:2
Today, we submit, yielding ourselves to the Master Sculptor. We rejoice that He sees in us what no one sees. He believes in us like no one believes. Oh, praise be His Name forever! He continually removes from our lives everything that doesn’t belong to our God-given identity.
Michelangelo’s David pictures him not after the victory as other creatives before his time. He poses David in the seconds before bringing the giant to the ground. Unflinching, He is filled with courage — focused, and ready for the victory ahead.
But before anyone could view David so magnificently posed, everything else had to be taken away. We often think we need to add something more to our lives to become complete. Michelangelo, like God, knew the real key is removing the excess.
**********
Good words, Maryann, but I think you mean Florence, not France – an autocorrected word perhaps? 🙂