Beauty from Ashes

How can beauty come from ashes? I mean, I've cleaned out my fireplace and it is not beautiful, nor am I after the job. Messy. Insidious. Ash is fine and dusty and gets everywhere. It makes a huge mess if you spill it..........black soot. It just doesn't even seem possible that anyone could say that beauty could come from ashes. It's just not possible. Or is it? I use ash in my garden. It has something good for plants. And I remember years ago when Mt. St. Helens erupted. We had ash all the way down here in Colorado. I went out in the morning and my car was all dusty and covered in ash. I was shocked. Ash can certainly travel a long way. But after time, all of the dust and ash settled and created a great soil for growth. A place for new plants. What had previously been burned away and annihilated, was also healed by the ash that was left. So be brave. Though right now all you can see is the mess. Though it feels like all you ever do is clean up the ash. One day you will wake up and see the beginnings of new growth. You will experience new hope. Beauty will come from the ashes.........in time. Do not give up. You will be held. It will not be forever. blessings, rhonda