Is it weird that while the girl was doing my nails today (yes, my nails. I'm a girl, quit rolling your eyes), I was thinking about how it applies to our spiritual lives? Hmm... okay I'll explain. But you're all gonna think I'm weird.

I don't know WHAT was wrong with her today, but she was hurting me. lol. She was going so fast; it usually doesn't hurt. But anyway, that's beside the point.

If you've ever gotten your nails done, or seen it done, you know it doesn't start out pretty. First they have to be roughed up and grinded, to strip away all the 'ugly' stuff; the stuff that will get in the way. If you haven't seen it done before, you kind of wonder how that will ever be something pretty. I did. Today it reminded me of how God has to strip away parts of us to make us something beautiful, and we don't see it because all we can see is that it's ugly. And the grinder can hurt, if your nails are weak. Should I explain that one?

She was doing it a little differently today and I was confused, watching her. Every time she did something I was thinking "hold on... what are you doing?" - "that's not gonna look good." - "You've never done that before, what are you doing?" - "You sure this is going to look right?" But of course I didn't say anything, just kept reminding myself that SHE was the "artist" and she probably knew what she was doing. I had faith that, since she hasn't let me down yet, it would look fine when she was done. It reminded me of how much we ask God, whether actually verbalizing it, or saying it with our lack of faith, "are you sure You know what You're doing? We've never done this before and I'm confused, I don't think it's going to work." I had faith she knew what she was doing... with my nails. I trust the nail girl. But I don't always trust God with my life? That's... kind of odd. But true. And we all do it (though, we don't all have nail girls in our stories ).

They looked so bad when I went in because I had waited way longer than the two weeks needed between refills. They looked awful. And it was starting to hurt because they grew out so long, they would get caught in things sometimes and twist, and that did NOT feel good. Kim told me today when she was fixing them: "you waited too long, that's why." Hmm... we do that. We wait so long and ignore a problem (or try to fix it ourselves) before we ask God for help, and in the meantime we're getting worse, and getting hurt (or, hurting ourselves).

Once she was done working, she polished them all up and told me to wash my hands. And they were pretty. Just like I knew they would be. I have some "scars" since my nails were weak because I waited too long, fixing it hurt some. But now that the refining has been done, it's beautiful.

Beauty is pain.