The mess in the middle

In one of my trips to the library I picked up a set of five tiny books at 20c each. They are in Mandarin, which I don't read, but each page has an illustration and what I imagine is a short quote or 'thought for the day'. This one set me thinking.

Before you start to sculpt a piece of rock you can see what it is - a rock. It has its natural planes and fissures. It has its own beauty.

The sculptor has in his head what he wants the finished piece to look like. A different beauty.

But in the middle - well, that's a big hot mess. Not quite what it was, and not yet what it will be.

And that's what most of life is like. Because transformation takes time. You have to hang in there because eventually the rock will start to look like something recognisable. The pain of the chipping away and the messy middle are worth it, because of the hope of the new beauty that will be revealed.