Michelangelo was about to make a sculpture of Moses. One day a large stone or rather a huge boulder was brought to him. He and his apprentice went to see it. They walked around it with delight. Michelangelo thought for a while, looking at the stone, and then said: “I see Moses in there.” The apprentice wondered, saying: “Moses? It’s no Moses; it’s just a stone.” Michelangelo replied: “But I see him there.” “What needs to be done to really have him in there?” Michelangelo said: “All that is not Moses must be removed.” “And how will it happen?” “Chisel, hammer, and blows. It is blows that give shape.”

It is the same with us. All that is not Jesus in us must be removed. And how will it happen? It is blows that give shape. God often has to visit trials or suffering on us, sometimes even through other people who scold us or do us a wrong, or through a loss or the death of our dear ones… It is the blows that give shape. However, the blows can even destroy the work – this happens when we revolt against them. Let us give thanks for everything. Let us accept everything. To be able to do so, we need to be aware of our sin. We need light, understanding, true self-criticism, so that we may truthfully and gratefully admit: Yes, this blow is for my idleness, carelessness, hedonism, self-will, or something worse… It is the blows that give shape. So we have to learn to give thanks. To give thanks to God for everything. That’s a simple thing. You can try it. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of examples of how it works. It works not 99 but 100 percent. Each of us has some suffering, lesser or greater, but the question is whether we accept it and give thanks for it. We read in Psalm 119: “Seven times a day I praise You for the judgments of Your justice.” (Psa 119:164) It means that even if something bad happens, we should give thanks, give thanks for His, as it were, just treatment of us because He seeks our greatest good. Someone will say: “What’s that supposed to mean? It’s a mockery of God! How can I give thanks for something bad?” You automatically think “Why?” You feel self-pity, revolt, anger… Interestingly enough, you are not angry with the devil, who is the author of evil, but rather with God. When you begin to give thanks instead of giving in to anger or despair, God will ultimately turn evil into good. And most importantly, you will not lose communion with Him even in the hardest situations!

Download: Reflection by Patriarch Elijah: Give thanks to God for everything – even for the blows that give shape