Stones

      Stones are a heavy subject to be thought of as stepping stones for spiritual consideration, yet inspiration can be found in the smallest and the largest. The ten guidelines for living were written on stone, for people need to see as well as hear new thought. Admiration is shown for those works of art which can begin as a block of stone and emerge as a thing of beauty. Out of the same stone, the same shape and size, can come entirely different works of art depending on the skill and eye of the sculptor. Stones are useful for their smoothing and soothing surfaces. Outer forces in our environment affect them as the ocean continually tosses and moves them and grinds them into grains of sand.

      In stone we see things from the past and on stone is recorded the art and messages of past civilizations. Stone has built massive monuments and beautiful places of worship ... yet it all can crumble.

      Have you noticed that some people act as if they are made of stone? They are unbending and somewhat stiff in their approach to others. There is even the expression that someone's heart may be made "of stone"...unfeeling and hard. We also know of those whose faces are "stone-faced". There are other current expressions that are commonly used so we are aware of stone's properties. In life, as we face many experiences and trials, we may sometimes wish were were more stone like to buffer the ocean of challenges that come our way.

      Use stone to build, to look at and marvel, to create, to structure form, but when it feels right for you, take a moment or two and be aware of the part of you that is stronger than stone and never crumbles.