Our souls are the finishing tools for His handiwork.

They are the plows He applies to the harsh earth so it will absorb the rains from heaven, the sandpaper to grind away the coarse surfaces of life, the polishing cloth so that it will glimmer in the light from above.

That friction that wears us down, those sparks that fly—it is the resistance to this refining process.

And if you should ask, how could it be that G‑d’s own creation should present resistance to His infinitely powerful breath?

In truth, it cannot. But He condenses that breath into a soul, He tightly focuses her power, until the harshness of this world can seem real to her, and then she will struggle, and in that struggle she will make the world shine.