We've been able to bond as a church and as a community, and we've made new friends.
-Larry Sunday, church member
For a church in Mills River, North Carolina, a common past time was used to wash away the Winter blues. Taking longer than expected, it turned into a lesson in patience with rewarding results.
Barbara Blake of the Citizens-Times.com website of Ashville writes:
The congregation of Mills River Presbyterian Church has become the first group in North Carolina and the first church in the country to complete the world's largest commercially made jigsaw puzzle.
For the group of over 100 members of the congregation at the church, the goal was to take the challenge on The World's Largest Jigsaw Puzzle website and complete the 24,000 piece puzzle with artwork by Royce B. McClure entitled "LIFE: The Great Challenge". Dozens of groups, as well as solitary people, have already submitted their application for inclusion in the hall of fame, which features categories of nations from around the world.
The original goal was for the team to complete the puzzle in four days on a non-stop schedule. When it became clear it would take much longer, work continued at a more leisurely pace. It was finally completed after two weeks and is the first puzzle of its kind to be completed in North Carolina.
Although group projects can have the added benefit of fellowship and learning to be patient with others, some challenges such as this giant puzzle can be accepted by individuals as well. Solitary projects that take time but have a definite end can help occupy the mind, diverting attention away from stressful thoughts.
The goal must not be influenced by the outside, but be something that brings joy and contentment from within as the reward. Expectations such as hoping for money by selling the painting you have been diligently working on, or the approval of another person when they see what you have accomplished, will diminish the joy as you progress and hinder your sense of accomplishment in the end. If you have an expected reaction from the outside world for doing something that was only meant to improve yourself mentally, it may bring you to disappointment, rather than a deep sense of spiritual peace.
The best projects are those that require little money to get the job done. Being able and committed to "donating" a small percentage of each check to a project will ensure you have that happy place to return to that you have grown accustomed to. It does you no good to get into a complex project, and be forced to think to yourself "I can't do anything until I can buy..." Something that once was a stress reliever can turn into a cause of stress.
Supplies and parts should be readily available as well. Collecting a set of rare coins, such as every year of every dime ever made in the United States would be enjoyable from the numismatist's point of view, but a few of them may be hard to come by and the goal may not be completed for a long time. If you are looking for a project that can be turned to on a regular basis, quilting or making a boat in a bottle might be more appropriate.
Patience will get you to your reachable goal, but planning ahead will make it more reliable as a sanctuary for your mind.
