... ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
— John 15:7
Life always becomes to us the particular thing we need when we believe that it becomes to us that particular thing.
— The Science of Mind, page 175
The Sculptor and The Clay
When Michelangelo perceived the imperfect block of marble that had been a “reject,” he saw it not. He only knew the breathtakingly beautiful form of the David which dwelt within. One time someone asked Michelangelo how he could sculpt something so magnificent. He responded in essence that he did nothing but chisel away all the extraneous material. What an idea! He saw only the perfection and got rid of everything that did not belong.
Now, think of perfection inside a piece of marble or in a lump of malleable clay. Can you imagine yourself as the clay? Often you might feel that life is the sculptor and it is carving an indelible impress upon you. But, in reality, that is not the case. Oh yes, it would be nice to be able to blame life for our experiences and feelings, but when we look in the mirror of living, we realize that we do the sculpting with our own thoughts! At times we even add superfluous material to the beautiful Self, the hidden splendor, awaiting to be revealed. But remember, that which is added can also be removed. What remains in the center of the marble, or the center of the clay, or the center of you? It is Perfection.
I am the clay and I am the sculptor. I still my mind so I can see with my inner eye the perfection that I am! All at once it is revealed to me the parts of my life that are covering and camouflaging my beauty. I make up my mind now to remove these extraneous parts one by one until the true me shines forth in all its glory.
My Father and I are one.
I am the sculptor.
I am the clay.
