Painting Before the Plaster Dries

When Giotto di Bondone painted the walls of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua around 1305, he used a technique called buon fresco — painting directly onto wet plaster. The method demanded absolute trust in the process. Each morning, his assistants would apply a fresh section of plaster to the wall, an area called a giornata — literally, "a day's work." From that moment, the clock was ticking. Giotto had to complete his painting before the plaster dried, because once it set, the pigment would be locked permanently into the wall. There was no erasing, no painting over, no second attempt.

Think about what that required. Every brushstroke was final. Every color choice was permanent. Giotto couldn't see the finished chapel — he could only see the wet patch of wall in front of him. He had to trust that each giornata, faithfully completed, would eventually become a unified whole.

Seven centuries later, those frescoes still glow with life.

Trust in God works much the same way. We can only see the section of life right in front of us — this day, this decision, this season. We cannot go back and repaint yesterday. We cannot see the finished picture. But God invites us to do our giornata faithfully, one day at a time, trusting that He is composing something far more beautiful than we can see from up close.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" (Matthew 6:34). Your today is enough. Paint it faithfully.