A week or so ago, I gave my children an assignment. For the Feast of St. Joseph, color a picture of St. Joseph. One child used crayon sticks and applied different pressure to create light and dark shades. One bypassed the crayon sticks and used his beloved marker collection. One picked up the crayon sticks and created a fade-in effect as light was coming through the stained-glass windows of his imagination. One used pens and crayon sticks to show that St. Joseph had been working hard outside in the heat just before he paused to pose for the picture. Then she decided he should have a collage of pictures and symbols because he deserved more than just one picture on just one day.
If God is the Artist of Creation, then Jesus is both Artist and Art. As Artist, He made my children so different from each other and so alike at the same time. They each endeavor to complete the task set before them, but their gifts take them on very different journeys toward their goal. As Art, Jesus came as Man and saved them from the fate of mortality. He invites them to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him in the next.
Even St. Joseph did not have that gift right away!
There are different varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different forms of activities, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each of us, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 1 Cor 12: 4-7