“You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5).
What a beautiful image St. Peter gives us of our lives, our faith, and our purpose! He calls us “living stones”, being built up into something incredible—a spiritual house for the Lord. When St. Peter wrote these words, he must have been thinking about the magnificent Temple from the Old Testament, a place where God’s presence dwelled.
When King Solomon built the Temple, there was something remarkable about the process. The Bible tells us that he arranged the construction in such a way that there was only peace and quiet on the construction site: “In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built” (1 Kings 6:7). And the stones were pre-worked and prepared below in the quarry, and then lifted up and placed in their proper places.
The same happend recently, at the renovation of the Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral, when the floor marble stones came from Italy already cut, polished and prepared to fit their perfect place.
Friends, this pictures, what God is doing in our lives. We too, as living stones, are being shaped, polished, and prepared by God—here and now on earth. He’s shaping us not with hammers and chisels but through His gentle hands, through His Word, through life’s experiences.
So, whatever you’re going through today, remember: God’s hands are at work in your life. You might feel rough around the edges, but He’s smoothing you out. You might feel like you’re in a quarry, but He’s getting you ready to be placed in His spiritual house in heaven, right where you belong. When we reach heaven, we will see the full picture. We will be part of that eternal temple, perfectly prepared to worship Him forever.
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