He Gives and Takes Away
I’m guessing that a sculptor almost always has a vision of the final piece of art before the sculpting begins.
After the vision is imagined, the right medium and technique are chosen to best create the sculptor’s dream.
To my limited knowledge there are two basic sculpting techniques. One is modeling and the other is carving.
In the modeling process, the sculptor begins with a small, sort of formless structure or framework and skillfully layers material on top of it to create substance and definition. This “giving” of material to an underdeveloped object is a formation process that brings the sculptor’s vision to life.
In the carving process, the sculptor finds a rough chunk of wood or stone that has the right composition and potential. The sculptor chips and cuts and sands the chunk to create character and beauty. It is this seemingly harsh taking-away of material that allows the sculptor’s idea to emerge and exist.
Sometimes, these two techniques are combined when the sculptor sees the need. A form is modeled and layered for substance and then carved for character.
Take a few moments today to read Job 1:21. Job was a living sculpture. His greatest moment of character and identity came, not when he was basking in the heady fumes of growth, but when he was reduced to an outcast who had nothing left but God. Job was a sculpture. So are you and I. So is the Body of Christ. In all of our talk of doing big, epic things in our cities for God, let’s be reminded that he so often has to carve us first. And to Him, this is a good thing.
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