Waves on the sand

Sand
Pristine, smooth.
Unmarred.

Footprints.
Holes dug by eager children.
Gouges made by a stray bottle.
Piles of sand pretending to be a castle.
Decorated with imagination and creativity.
Tracks left by gulls,
And sandpipers.
Shells.
Broken into pieces,
or rarely,
left whole by an accident of the ocean.

Waves approach,
and everything is washed clean.
No trace remains.
The sand is once more
Spotless.
Pristine.
Smooth and untouched.

And so it is with us.
Our lives are full of mistakes.
Errors in judgement.
Lies, hurt feelings, disappointments.
Sin.
Hatred gouges away pieces of us,
leaving us marred, broken, torn.

Grace approaches,
and washes over us,
leaving forgiveness in its wake.
Filling the holes,
washing away the pain,
And we are once more
pristine.
Whole.
Touched by God.