Steinway grand pianos are legendary for their craftsmanship. Since 1853, the Astoria-based company has created iconic instruments, working for an entire year to assemble a single piano from 12,000 individually handcrafted pieces. The focus and dedication necessary to create these beautiful instruments is amazing. But as advanced as a Steinway piano is, it falls impossibly short of a human being. We are the true masterpieces! The Psalmist writes: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Think about that for a second. The same hands that created galaxies personally wove your DNA. That same breath that commanded the sun to shine also breathed life into you. It’s an overwhelming and humbling thought, but one that can easily be forgotten. From commercials, to magazines, to billboards, we’re surrounded by non-stop images of “ideal physical beauty,” images that often prompt us to think about what we lack, instead of giving thanks for what have in abundance. The truth is, every human being who has ever walked the earth is a unique and masterful work of art, created with perfect love and care by our heavenly Father. Although our fall from grace has tragically intervened, God, through his Son, is working to bring to completion and perfection his creatures and the entire cosmos in which we exist.

So the next time you hear the beautiful notes of a concerto played on a Steinway, remember the care and love with which your heavenly Father has taken in crafting you, and give thanks that the Creator of the universe loves you so much that he took the care to shape each and every part of you.

I’m Joseph Tkach, speaking of LIFE.