Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

St. Francis of Assisi

There are many things that seem impossible to me. An infant’s eyelashes, for instance. So tiny, so feathery. The way plants emerge from ground that had, just a few weeks earlier, been frozen, seeming to grow right before our eyes. A musical composition that combines sounds that set hearts to melting, eyes to watering. The presence of certain colors…blush pink, rich salmon, spring green. Impossible visual delights.

I have been thinking about impossibility much these days. Last weekend I was in the presence of one of the most stunning pieces of art I have ever seen. Standing before the sculpture titled ‘Veiled Lady’ by Raffaelo Monti at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, all my mind could think was “this seems impossible.” Of course, my mind was also screaming “this is so, so beautiful!” I have seen this sculpture numerous times and every time I say to myself “impossible.” How can we see through stone? Even with the explanation that the artist used tricks of light and polishing parts of the stone more than others creating this illusion, I never cease to stand in awe before it.

There is much in our world that seems impossible right now. How to make sense and peace in so many countries, with so many differing ways of seeing and being by those in power comes to mind. Generally, the pursuit of peace in the world often seems impossible. The fact that so many brothers and sisters live unhoused with little movement made toward finding home. And then there is the plight of our planet, climate change and the many ways and reasons people see this so differently, pushing healing and hope to the margins. It could cause humanity to simply throw our hands in the air and declare it all impossible.

Yet, Raffaelo Monti looked at a block of stone and saw what was necessary to free the lady from the cold, static rock. He then studied how light played on the stone and using tools he knew well he began to polish here…and there…allowing the light to dance in her emerging face. Fashioning a veil of stone he created for her a sense of humility and mystery. Since 1860 people have been witness to the impossibility of her beauty.

Today I am thankful for all those who turn their backs on what may seem impossible. I am thankful for those that turn toward what is necessary, grasping what is possible, all leading to what once seemed impossible. What may seem impossible to me is just being dreamed into being by someone else. It is why we need each other. Raffaelo Monti may have been surrounded by those who thought what he was trying to do was impossible. But he knew. In his creative mind and spirit, he believed he had the power to create beauty that continues to bring awe and astonishment to the world. And he did.