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Short Stories (Stories for the Youth), book by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

165- A Lump of Mud

St-Takla.org Image: David marble statue, by Michelangelo (1501-1504), 5.17 meter (details 13). The masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture depicts young David after he has made the decision to fight Goliath. - David's Room: Galleria dell'Accademia: Gallery of the Academy of Florence, Florence (Firenze), Italy. Established in 1784. - Photograph by Michael Ghaly for St-Takla.org, September 30, 2014. صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: داود، تمثال رخامي يصور داود النبي بعد قراره محاربة جليات الجبار، عمل الفنان مايكل أنجلو (1501-1504)، بطول 5,17 مترًا (تفاصيل 13) - صور حجرة تمثال داود في متحف الأكاديميا، فلورنسا (فيرينزي)، إيطاليا. أُنشئ عام 1784 م. - تصوير مايكل غالي لموقع الأنبا تكلاهيمانوت، 30 سبتمبر 2014.

The great Italian artist, Benvenuto Cellini, announced the arrival of a huge piece of marble that had a defect in it. He placed it in Florence square. Many artists came to see it but they all looked at it and passed by; it was good for nothing. Passers by used to look at this piece of marble and feel unhappy. Some requested that it be removed from the square. Suddenly someone came and put a fence around it, which hid the marble completely.

 After hard work, two years later, the fence was removed and what a surprise! Michael Angelo made a statue for King David from this piece of marble. He was the only person who was able to make a statue of a unique artistic value from that piece of marble.

You often look at yourself and see it as a lump of mud like that useless piece of marble. You say with St. Paul "There is nothing good in me, meaning my flesh".

 If you are a lump of mud, God puts around you the fence of the body, a temporary umbrella over you. Then, certainly, the hand of the Creator will make from this lump not a statue of King David, but an icon for the Son of King David, the Lord Jesus Himself, at Whom the angels love to look. They see the glory of the King's daughter inside you.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: كتلة من الطين.

+ You, the Greatest Artist, let Your hands change the lump of mud to a heavenly artistic piece. Out of nothing, You make a sky and from my grave You bring out joyous kingdom.

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