They were eager to start work again for the church in Russia. He drew on Christian symbols and iconography, he said, that were not overtly religious. In one window he used a dove with an olive branch, symbol of rebirth and new hope, and the rainbow, another strong symbol of hope. Both images are also rooted in Scripture. In the other window, he designed a shell with three drops of water.
Christians understand the shell to symbolize baptism.
Mr. Wesson pointed out that the design includes an architectural element of marble arches that frame the other features in the windows. I wanted to create a feeling of elegance to hold the message. For the glass, I chose colors that were bright and extremely rich. I wanted to create a richness and a full impact that would bring a new level of experience into the gray environment they live in most of the year. Dave Dyer, an architect and a member of St. Paul UMC who worked on the stained glass windows, explained the congregation's feelings in an interview with Jack Hill, a broadcast journalist and independent television producer who followed the project all the way to Ekaterinburg.