To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

God has this innovative way of using the most difficult of circumstances and situations. You can be right in the middle of something and trying to get through it. Wouldn't you know it - you can see the beauty in the ruins.

There is something about seeing something for the first time in a new light. In a new way.

Passing this building on a warm Sunday here in DC, I came across this window. What I noticed was the light, the layers. You could see something was happening. Even though the building was in the midst of a transformation it was still beautiful.

I actually think it's a great symbolism for where I am in this moment. I can see the potential. I can see the beauty. But things are being torn down and built again. A re-construction of sorts. The foundation is good. The inside is being reconstructed.

There's freedom in knowing we have room to change and grow. There is freedom in knowing that although we can be firmly planted and rooted in some ways, we can still be changed and renewed. There is something special about knowing there is a room for beauty even amongst the ashes.