before and after

For Sam's room, we searched for furniture that we could re-do to make it look exactly how we wanted it.  This meant we didn't really look in fancy furniture stores; instead, we scoured garage sales, thrift stores, craigslist ads, and consignment stores.  After days of this, we finally found the pieces we were looking for, which to the casual observer probably raised some eyebrows, for it was obvious this furniture had seen better days.  Paint was chipping; the stain was old and worn off in places; knobs or other pieces were missing.  But, this didn't deter us because we had a vision for these castaways!  They were going to become something great and look perfect in Sam's room.

To create our vision, we had a lot of work to do.  Work that wasn't going to be very easy.  First, we sanded until we were thought our fingerprints were sanded off.  Hours (and hours) later, covered in dust, and lacking our fingerprints, we were finished with this not quite enjoyable task.  Sanded down to the natural wood, our furniture castaways had been returned to their original glory.  Finally, we were able to paint it and create the perfect pieces for Sam's room.

While spending hours on this furniture, I was thinking of how this resembles what God does with us.  He doesn't care where we come from--fancy furniture store or garage sale; He still desires to make us into something great.  The process isn't usually fun or easy when He applies His sander to us to get rid of all the yucky paint and smooth out the rough spots, but it's more than necessary.  The end result is something beautiful as we become what God intends for us to be.  His before and after is pretty amazing!