The tunnel walls were covered in a crust of dirt, small stones, and who knew what else. They were bumpy, sharp, dirty and uneven. Careful not to bump against them lest I scrape the skin off my arms or legs I walked in the middle down the uneven sloping floor, following the light held by my companion. 

Some distance in I noticed a change. The wall here was different. I moved closer to examine it. It was smooth! I stopped and backed up the tunnel a couple steps. I could see the irregular line where the crust had, somehow, been scraped off. It had covered the walls at least an inch thick. It must have taken a lot of work and determination to uncover the surface beneath.

“Wait,” I called to my companion. “Come look at this!”

He turned around, bringing the light back with Him. 

By His light I could see that the excavated wall was not completely smooth. It’s surface was actually a mosaic of small colourful tiles fitted together into a mural. I stepped back to get a larger perspective and see what the mural portrayed. There were geometric patterns … but when I looked differently the patterns formed a seascape! Blue tiles showed the splashing waves breaking against a sandy beach further down the tunnel. It was beautifully done, with a vibrant sunset or sunrise sky painted in pinks, oranges, and blues.

“It’s beautiful!’ I breathed. “Wow! Who knew that was hidden behind the crust accumulated over the ages? I wonder if this mural runs the length of the tunnel. What would we see if we could somehow excavate the whole thing?”

My companion smiled, turned, and beckoned me on, further down the tunnel. We came to an opening lit from beyond and exited into a large cavern, supported by pillars here and there. Most of the walls were still covered by the accumulated detritus of decades, but some spots had been uncovered to show bits of the murals beneath. The floor was the same. 

“Wow!” I breathed. “When this is completely excavated it will be amazing!” 

Lamps flickered in sconces on the walls around the cavern, giving a soft uneven light. High above an opening like a skylight let bluer light in. I stood in the centre and turned in a circle in awe of this place and the beauty hidden here. 

“Who is cleaning this up?” I asked. “Can I help?”

He laughed. “You have already worked here, though you didn’t realise. Don’t you recognise it?”

“No,” I said, dumbfounded. How could I have worked here without knowing it?

“This,” He said, indicating the cavern, the tunnel, the pillars and floor, “is you. We have worked hard, you and I, to remove the hard, sharp, bitter layers of crust to reveal your true self hidden beneath. I’m proud of you and the work you have done. And there is more work yet. Come! Let’s keep working together.”

If the work already done looked prodigious, the work left was daunting indeed. But, with glances at the beauty already revealed, and imagining what was still hidden beneath, we set to work.

For more on His work in us, see https://godcolouredwords.com/boxes/