The story is told of a king who possessed a beautiful gem that he prized above all else. One day, to his horror, the king discovered a scratch on his beautiful stone. Immediately, he sent messengers to every corner of his kingdom offering a great reward to anyone who could remove the scratch. One by one, jewelers came to examine the stone only to tell the downcast king that nothing could be done. One day, an artisan came to the palace and heard of the king’s plight. Examining the stone, the artisan announced to a stunned court that he could repair the king’s gem. He took his tools and the gem into another room and emerged triumphantly with the gem in hand. When the king gazed at his beloved stone he was amazed to see that the scratch was still there, but that the artisan had etched a rose at its top, so the scratch had become the stem of a beautiful flower.

Friends, this is a parable that reflects the path of life. Each of us is entrusted with a beautiful life with many facets. Life’s challenges create scratches that appear on the beautiful surface of our gem of life. Faith is a constant reminder that there is a God who continues to walk with us, and a world that remains beautiful. Like the artisan, faith does not take the scratch away, but it gives us the rose to put atop the scratch.