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The citizens of a small Italian seaport wanted to build a belltower to go beside its cathedral, and in August 1173, work began on the architectural masterpiece of Bonanno Pisano. Its completion spanned multiple centuries with the help of other architects, and in the mid-1300s, the structure was complete. There was only one problem, however …

In 2 Corinthians (4:6-9), Paul exhorts us that “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

The ground below the cathedral’s belltower consisted of clay, fine sand, and shells, and it wasn’t sound enough to withhold the belltower … an error in calculation still visible in one of the world’s most famous structures, the leaning tower of Pisa.

The lean of the tower led to its fame, drawing over a million visitors each year. Just as the town of Pisa has embraced the off-kilter structure, we need to be open to admitting and repenting of our shortcomings, our selfishness, our sin, because through our weak, fragile jars of clay, God’s power and glory can be revealed through us.

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