Miracles of Beauty

The Vermont winter was the perfect place for Wilson Bentley to practice his favorite hobby. While a teenager, he began experimenting with the newly discovered medium of photography to take pictures of his favorite subject—the snowflake. He successfully constructed a contraption to attach his camera to his microscope and captured his first picture in 1885, and he never looked back.

Over the course of 46 years, the Vermont farmer took more than 5,000 snow-crystal images on glass photographic plates. He lived his entire life in the same farmhouse, in the same town, using the same equipment he built as a teenager. Bentley’s photographs showed up in many publications for decades, giving the world a better look at the beauty of snowflakes.

It is said that no two snowflakes are alike. Yet in all this incredible variety, the six-sided pattern of snow crystals never changed. The symmetrical structures, when carefully observed, all have the same basic configuration. Unity and diversity are combined by the Creator—giving us a powerful illustration of the Bible.

Many critics superficially read the Holy Scriptures and say that the diversity of stories, poetry, and history make up nothing more than a “jumbled” conglomeration of ancient material. Yet when the Spirit of God illumines the humble mind, it brings to light hidden truths and divine patterns that reveal—from Genesis to Revelation—the plan of salvation.

What may appear to some students of the Scriptures to be a collection of disconnected stories about Israel, strange prophecies, and history is really a unified whole revealing to us the God of love.

Through Spirit-inspired writers, the Lord revealed a revelation of His plan to redeem people from sin. Look closely and you will see a beauty that many overlook.

Bentley called snowflakes “tiny miracles of beauty.” Every verse of

Scripture could be described in the same way.

Apply It:

Study pictures of snowflakes. If you are able, observe some with your naked eye or with a magnifying glass. Then reflect on the symmetry and beauty of the Scriptures.

Dig Deeper:

Job 38:29; Psalm 33:6; 1 Corinthians 1:18

Key Bible Texts

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, (Job 38:22 KJV)