Somewhere in the Far East there are craftsmen who make large earthen urns. Like any other pottery, the urns are formed, fired in a kiln, hand painted and glazed. These are urns that stand 3 to 4 feet tall, and when they are finished they are truly works of art and quite valuable. But when the urn is finished, the craftsman takes a mallet, and completely breaks the urn into many pieces, destroying what was a work of art. After the urn is in pieces the craftsman begins to put the urn back together.
Every piece is fitted and glued into place.
The finished product is more beautiful than before it was broken. The glue that is used is made from gold and because of this what was once just an ordinary beautiful urn has been transformed into an extraordinary beautiful piece of pottery, far more precious and of much greater value. Often to continue the work of Christ in this world we have to be willing to pick up the pieces of life and put them back together. The result can be a most beautiful picture of life. Fred's life revolved around his wife, Jenny.