Paint doesn’t last. It fades. It cracks. It peels. Live in a house long enough, and you will find yourself needing to repaint any exterior wood. I’ve had to do that twice over the years.
When I paint, though, I’m only dealing with one color. Wash the wall, scrape away anything that’s peeling, and slap on a new coat. That process is manageable. However, dealing with hundreds of colors that have faded and been covered with years of grime is something altogether different. Art restoration is a monumental task best not left to people like me. Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, the fresco painted on a wall at the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie began to deteriorate shortly after da Vinci put his brushes away. Since its completion in 1498, the painting has undergone seven attempts at restoration, and the last one took twenty years.
We need restoration too. We’ve lost our way, wandered from God, and painted over the abundant life and purpose for which God created with the dull color of self and the grime of sin. No DIY effort will do. We need the Master Restorer.
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