The Divine Sculptor

The expert sculptor knows his material intimately and forms it out of that knowledge. But who is the Sculptor? And what (or who) is the stone?

"How did you know that was in there?"
Said the boy to the Sculptor,
And we laughed.
But he did know -

He knew the essence of the raw stone;
He knew the pressures that formed its rough shape;
He knew its grain and the way it would form;
He knew the hard parts that yield only to heavy blows;
He knew the fragile parts where each stroke must be gentle.
And he was patient,
Persevering,
Diligent,
Determined -

For he saw the beauteous potential
In that shapeless beginning.

© Derrick Phillips - 2003