You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

Do you remember the lonely pipe sticking out of the newly-laid foundation? Just weeks ago, Mary Helen stood there, expectantly waiting for something to happen.
Now look! You can see the pipe, Mary Helen ---- and lots of house! The sheer volume of the interior dwarfs my sister.
I have never built a house, nor followed one so closely. What fun this is. When the walls are finished, and the infrastructure is covered up, I will still remember what it looked like as it turned from a pile of sticks into a house of dreams.
"Strengthening the core" is a current craze for those who exercise. No, I am not one of them! What happens on the outside to us directly correlates to what happens on the inside - within our musculature.
Mary Helen and Smith's house is just the same. Any shortcuts, or flaws will be covered, but the impact will be felt in years to come. They can see the strength of their house and know it is being done correctly.
"Whatsoever a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" was a foundational verse for the Smith family (along with "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise....) The core and the core values are important. We might look good on the outside, but ultimately we will display how we are constructed.
Often we hear people speak of older houses with "good bones." I want my life to be that way. I am aging (sometimes too quickly); I am sagging, assuredly. But I want God's "good bones" to be seen and felt through me. The work He began in me will undoubtedly be completed, just like their new house. I am grateful.