By the Master’s hand - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

... until Christ is formed in you.
Galatians 4:19

By the Master’s hand
In 16th-century Florence, a group of artists contemplated a huge block of beautiful marble. It was over 4 metres high, but unfortunately an unskilled sculptor had roughly defaced it in one place. “You can’t make anything out of that any more,” thought the artists.

But one morning, a young man erected a fence around the abandoned block. From then on, for several years, the sound of a chisel shaping the stone could be heard. When the fence disappeared, the Florentines were amazed: They saw a beautiful statue of David. To this day, it is one of the highlights of a visit to Florence. Under the master’s chisel, a magnificent work of art had emerged from the formless and seemingly unusable block. Michelangelo’s David (1475–1564) is considered the most famous sculpture in art history.

There are people who ruefully realise, “I have wasted my life.” They feel that the “marble of their lives” has been defaced and wonder what remains of their efforts and hopes.

But there is no reason to despair: the Lord Jesus Christ invites us to entrust our lives to Him. He can shape us for the glory of God. But this is only possible if we give up our plans and ideas and accept the authority of His Word, the Bible.

Maybe I need some distance from everything I used to love, because otherwise it gets in the way of His work. In any case, we must let Him into our hearts – where the seat of our personality is. Because what He wants to shape me into is His own image. He patiently works on me until I reflect His image. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ can turn what I have made a mess of into a masterpiece.

Today’s reading: Exodus 15:17-27 · Luke 7:1-10