“The load will be delivered on Wednesday morning,” Erich said. 

Finally, the hardscaping would begin. Rick and Claudia loved the look of the uncut stone and anticipated the groundbreaking.

The stones were various hews of browns, beige, purples, and greys. When the sunlight touched the stones, it brought the colors to life. The stones had a rough texture with jagged edges that gave the house a pristine sense. Claudia felt the assorted sizes of stone in the front yard would complement the house’s color, and the brick was like something out of Better Homes and Gardens.

And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it.

~Exodus 20:25 NASB

There are 192 mentions of the word “stone” in the Old Testament. One of the most used places references altar building. Altars were constructed of uncut stones. The word uncut in Hebrew is shalem and means full, complete, and undamaged.

Moses instructed the Israelites to build the altar on Mount Ebal of natural, unhewn, or whole stones. As they gathered these uncut stones, they became instrumental in service. God provided for them stones that were not altered by man. These uncut stones are a representation of the Israelites’ true essence. God said it was profane if a tool altered the look of the stones. Like the Old Testament’s uncut stones, God is interested in the authentic. He does His best work when we come to Him just as we are.

From the Old to the New Testament, God expresses His love for His children. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to the cross to show His unconditional love and pay for our sins. We can add nothing.  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~John 3:16 NASB

Jesus does not want perfection, but He does want our availability, whether on our jobs, with a stranger, or in our community. When we appear uncut, we tell God, “This is who I am,” giving Him the green light to turn us into His workmanship.

Often, we try to add to Christ’s redeeming work, but we cannot do anything to prove our value or fix ourselves. All we can do is bring the raw stuff of our mistakes, doubts, and disappointments so that He can transform the uncut version of ourselves into something extraordinary.

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

~Romans 12:1 NASB

The altering of stones by human attempts tainted the work of a perfect God. We must allow Him to fix us, even when it is uncomfortable to reveal our uncut selves, and especially when we can only acknowledge that what He is doing is best.

As we yield to God’s loving inspection, our families will learn that He has a good destiny and that His love for us is unconditional. They need to see us demonstrate our trust in the One who brings completeness to our souls. Be who God made you and allow Him to craft you into something better.

Do you feel comfortable allowing God to see the uncut version of yourself? What is an area in which you still need to yield?

Father God, I thank You for your Son Jesus Christ, who redeemed humankind. As I yield to Your loving inspection, thank You for smoothing my jagged edges and turning them into something beautiful. Help me to surrender any areas where I am slow to accept Your will.

 In Jesus’ name, amen.

Genre: Anecdotal story; Fiction. Body; Non-fiction