It is related that the renowned painter and sculptor Michelangelo was finishing a statue when a friend stopped by. Some time later the friend called again; the sculptor was still at work. His friend looked at the figure and said, "Have you been idle since I saw you last?"
How we handle the "trifles"—the little
acts of overcoming the annoyance, impatience,
indifference, apathy, that sometimes seem to be so
much a part of our day—can make an enormous
difference in the quality of our lives. We can begin
by understanding that these ungodlike traits are
no part of our true being.
"By no means," replied the sculptor. "I have retouched this part and polished that; I have softened this feature and brought out this muscle; I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy to this limb."
