THE QUARRY
His thoughts said, The time of preparation for service is longer than I had imagined it would be, and this kind of preparation is difficult to understand.
His Father said, “Think of the quarry whence came the stone for My house in Jerusalem.”
THE TOOLS
His thoughts said, I wonder why these special tools are used?
His Father said, “The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
If though knewest the disappointment it is to the builders when the stone cannot be used for the house, because it was not made ready before it was brought thither; if thou knewest My purpose for thee, thou wouldst welcome any tool if only it prepared thee quietly and perfectly to fit into thy place in the house.”
-Amy Carmichael
As printed in Becoming a Woman of Excellence (Amazon Affiliate link).