At first, brokenness seems like the end—a sign of failure, weakness, or loss. A shattered vessel appears useless, its original beauty lost in the fragments. But in the hands of a master artisan, those very cracks can become the foundation for something even more beautiful.
The Japanese art of Kintsugi teaches us this truth. Instead of discarding broken pottery, artisans mend the cracks with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The once-broken vessel does not hide its fractures; rather, it displays them with honor. The gold-filled seams tell a story—not of destruction, but of transformation. What was once broken is now more valuable than before.
Is this not the way of grace? Life’s trials may leave us fractured, but God, the Divine Potter, does not erase our brokenness—He redeems it. The very places we thought were beyond repair become the canvas for His restoration. Through healing, our scars become marks of redemption, our wounds transformed into wisdom, and our suffering woven into a testimony of grace.
Isaiah 61:3 declares this promise: “To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” God does not simply restore—He makes things new, turning our deepest pains into reflections of His glory.
Our cracks are not signs of defeat; they are evidence of a life that has been shaped, broken, and made beautiful. When we surrender our broken pieces to God, we do not just heal—we shine.
