Walking along virtually any saltwater beach in the world, you might stumble across some colorful, smooth stones with frosted surfaces. Looking a little closer, you would realize that they are not really stones at all. They are shards of broken glass that have been weathered and tumbled until the sharp edges and slick surfaces have been worn away.
These shards can take decades, or even centuries to be transformed into sea glass. They are repeatedly tumbled by ocean waves and baked in the hot sun. They are ground against the rough sand until eventually they are transformed into stunning pieces of art.
Sea glass is certainly beautiful to look at. But the formation of it also offers a powerful analogy for the magic of transformation in our own lives. Through our most challenging life experiences, we often feel as if we are being tossed and tumbled, and even ground into the dirt.
We may feel broken at times and rough around the edges. We might desperately try to build a hard, shiny shell around us to keep us safe from harm. We may feel lost and directionless, having no real purpose that we can discern.
Most of us try to control our outer circumstances so we can feel more stable and secure inside. But the harder we try to resist change, the more painful it becomes. We only end up feeling stuck and unhappy as we try desperately to hold onto the old and resist the new. It leaves us hanging in limbo, sometimes for years. Our lives cannot become more than they are because we are not willing to let go and surrender to the process of change. By holding on and trying to control the process, we only become more stressed and fearful as time goes on.
Ironically, it is only when we finally decide to embrace the process of change in our lives that new opportunities present themselves. When we humbly surrender, relax, and go with the flow, we quickly realize that the currents of life begin carrying us in favorable directions.
We also begin to realize that our hard outer shell was not really protecting us at all. It was only keeping us locked inside of ourselves, isolated and alone. We realize that our best defense against hurt is not wielding sharp, cutting edges, but rather recognizing that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength.
In our willingness to keep our hearts open and expand into something more, we eventually discover a new purpose and reason for being here on this earth. We might conceive a new calling or passion, or we might just begin dancing with life on a more meaningful level.
Ultimately, we begin to see our journey of transformation as exciting, thrilling, and ripe with endless possibilities. We wonder why we fought against it so hard, for so long, when it actually ended up being the very best thing that’s ever happened to us.
