Hey, welcome to follow him favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with

each week's lesson. John, we are in the creation story. In the beginning, Genesis. You've told me

you have a story. Yes, I do. It's about a painting. Elder Richard G. Scott and President Henry

B. Iring do watercolors. President Packard had amazing art with birds and things.

This process of creating, I love that they love to create, and we're talking about creation.

But much more recently, Sister Kristen Yee, I do you remember this talk, she said, about 10 years ago,

I felt impressed to paint a portrait of the Savior.

Though I am an artist, it felt a bit overwhelming. You've got to go find this talk because the painting is in there, and it is incredible.

How was I to paint a portrait of Jesus Christ that captured his spirit? She said, where was I to begin? How could I find the time?

I decided to move forward and trust that the Lord would help me, but I had to keep moving and leave

possibilities to him. She said, I prayed, pondered, research, sketched, was blessed to find help

and resources. What was, a white canvas started to become something more. The process wasn't easy. Sometimes it didn't look as I had hoped. Sometimes there were moments of inspired strokes and ideas. And many times I just had to try again and again and again. When I thought the oil painting was finally complete and dry, okay, hang you under your chair, h Hank. I began to apply a transparent varnish to protect it

from dirt and dust. As I did, I noticed the hair in the painting started to change, smear, and dissolve.

Oh, I remember this. Can you imagine? I quickly realized I had applied the varnish too soon, and that part of the painting was still wet. I literally

wiped away a portion of my painting with the varnish. Oh, how my heart sank. I felt as though I had

just destroyed what God helped me to do. I cried and felt sick inside in despair. I did what

anyone would do typically in a situation like this. I called my

mother. She wisely and calmly said, you won't get back what you had, but do the very best you

can with what you've got. I prayed and pled for help, painted through the night to repair things,

and I remember looking at the painting

in the morning, it looked better than it did before. How was that possible? What I thought was a mistake

without men was an opportunity for his merciful hand to be manifest. He was not done with the painting

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