Arrived in this beautiful city with a cathedral of gothic structure and breathtaking windows. The building itself is a work of art dating back to the 13th century. Previously, large church structures had to be built of massive, thick walls which had few, if any, windows, because the walls would collapse given the open spaces. Several architects of the 13th century envisioned a style of architecture that would allow for thinner walls supported by buttresses, columns and arches.

The Leon cathedral was one of the first buildings that allowed light to pour in thru tens of thousands of glittering stained glass pieces, formed to tell the stories of the Old Testament, the New Testament, images of nature, the animal world, the creation of humanity, the focus being on Christ. The Cathedral faces East allowing the suns raise to blaze thru the stained glass illuminating them to tell a story through architecture and colors of glass.

Its foundation began to weaken as the centuries progressed, to the point that in the 19 century, the walls with the precious windows would completely collapse. The foundation needed to be strengthened, and it was strengthened due to the vision and brilliance of certain architects. A scaffolding was built and the work began which took years in fortifying the building’s foundation.

Once finished, the scaffolding had to be removed leaving the building in a precarious state without the support of the scaffolding. After the scaffolding was removed the people could hear the “moaning, crunching” sound as the building sunk into its fortified state.

I love this true story about a treasure of a building, art, architecture telling a story. A building built on the foundation of Faith, but its physical foundation needed restoration. Foundations are important, especially ones rooted in a VISION. Without a vision, your life will whither and fall apart. Beauty transforms the mind and heart to flame into life a vision. Faith is the key. Religion is the expression of faith.

When the foundation of our lives is Christ, we will become like a fragment of beautiful glass of unique colors or a multiplicity of colors. This is the church of Christ, Who IS the Foundation. And like the Leon Cathedral, we need renovation, restoration, purification to fortify our foundation in Christ. May we, who are this beautiful building built of “living stones,” not weaken this wonderful structure with pessimism, constant criticism, complacency and bitterness.

How can YOU make the church more beautiful?