You Are a Piece of Work!

This is Michelangelo Buonarotti’s masterpiece sculpture, “David.”

From head to toe, David stands more than 14 feet tall.  He was carved from a single block of marble using only a hammer and chisel over a three-year period from 1501 to 1503.

Imagine that.

Did you know that marble can have veins that are not visible from the outside?  There can be flaws and weaknesses.

And even with modern tools, mistakes happen.  How many times must he have hit his thumb with that hammer? How many times did he mis-strike and take something off that he hadn’t intended to?

How many flaws in the marble did he discover that forced him to adjust his plans to suit the strengths and weaknesses of his medium?  How many times might other unforeseen factors have wandered in and frustrated his progress, but scrapping it all and starting over was simply not an option.

Despite all those probabilities, when we look at this sculpture, all we see is a masterpiece.  Each of those flaws, those mis-strikes, and those bad days become sculpting strokes carving out what ultimately became this precious work of art.

Think about that.

You have only failed when you have stopped trying.