The Visible Reveals the Invisible Beyond and Above It

The first thing that naturally draws human attention is the visible world around us. It is filled with an endless variety of things — lifeless and living, irrational and rational. Many of these things are beautiful in a way that delights us; others show such clear usefulness and purpose that they stir deep admiration. The more closely we observe this world, the more our sense of wonder grows. Everywhere we look, we find objects that reward careful and thoughtful study.

This complexity, combined with the constant change we see in the universe, strongly suggests — indeed, almost forces us to conclude — that the universe is not self-existent, but derived. And so we naturally ask: Where did this astonishing panorama come from — this world that often fills us with such delight?

Among the natural objects that no human hand has made, we also notice the works of human beings. And when we look at these works, we see a clear pattern: the best of them are always the result of deliberate design. Before a great work exists outwardly, it exists first as an idea in the mind. Often that idea develops gradually before it is ever brought into reality. We see this in the many sketches that lead up to a great painting, or in the slowly refined plan behind a major literary work. Humanity’s finest achievements are always the result of careful thought combined with patient effort. And in every case, the creator is far greater than the creation. When we admire a painting, what we are really admiring is the painter.