This week I read the story of a cathedral in Europe that became famous worldwide

because of a stained glass window that towered high above its altar.

People came from all over the world to come and see that magnificent stained glass window,

nothing like it in the world.

But one day a violent storm shattered that beautiful window

into a thousand pieces. And the church custodian was so reluctant to throw away the fragments,

so he gingerly picked him up and put them in a box and stored him in the basement of the church.

A well-known artist came to that church church and he petitioned the trustees to give him

the fragments and did not know what he wants to do with them. He took them and went back to his

studio and two years later he invited the trustees to come because he was going to unveil some of

his major works. And so when they came to their utter amazement, to their astonishment,

he unveiled the restored stained glass window.

Because it looked more magnificent and looked more beautiful than she ever was before.

And I thought when I read this, and I said,

isn't it incredible how, that most of us at

some point have experienced the blasting of a storm in our lives in the midst of God's

blessing. And if you haven't been there already, or if you are going through that right now,

I want to tell you, if you have not already experienced

God's restoration act, God's restoration work, you will, and I'll tell you that on the

authority of God's word. Because God specializes in restoring fragments of life into a magnificent

and more beautiful way of living. God specializes

in remaking beauty out of ashes. In life, the blessing and the blessing somehow seem to go hand in hand.

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