When the Finishing Touches Feel Hard

There’s a stage in every painting that’s supposed to feel peaceful — the home stretch, when everything is coming together. But for me, that’s rarely how it goes.

The “finishing touches” are almost always the hardest part. It’s where I start second-guessing myself, overthinking every brushstroke, and worrying that I’ll ruin what’s already working. It’s the place where I have to remind myself, again and again, to stop striving and start trusting: 

There’s a kind of tension that comes in those final layers — a restlessness that has nothing to do with the canvas itself. It’s the part where peace feels furthest away, where I can sense what I want the piece to become but can’t quite get it there yet. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and it stretches every ounce of patience I have.

But what I’ve noticed, time and time again, is that afterward — when I finally set down the brush, take a step back, and look at the piece the next day — it’s somehow more alive than it was before. The work keeps growing, even when I feel like I’m falling short.

And I think that’s how God works too.

When You Can’t See the Whole Picture

So much of life feels like that “finishing touches” stage — we can sense what something could be, but we can’t bring it together on our own. It’s the part where we want clarity but find tension instead. Where we crave peace but feel stretched thin.

Maybe that’s what faith really is: trusting that God is still at work, even when the picture doesn’t look finished yet.

Because He is.

Even when the details don’t make sense. Even when we feel unsure, unqualified, or afraid of messing everything up — He’s still shaping something deeper, something alive. God brings things together quietly, often in ways we can’t see while we’re still in the middle of it.

When I look back on my work — or my life — I can see His fingerprints in places I didn’t expect. Not in the moments where everything came easily, but in the ones where I nearly gave up. The ones that felt unresolved, confusing, or even wrong at the time.

And yet, there He was. Finishing what I couldn’t:

Letting Go of the Outcome

There’s a verse that’s been resting in my heart lately:

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” — Psalm 138:8

That promise reminds me that the outcome isn’t mine to control. My job is simply to keep showing up — to hold the brush loosely, to take the next faithful step, and to trust that He’s bringing it all together in His perfect timing.

Because whether it’s paint or parenting, faith or daily life — the work and the heart behind it keep growing in His hands, even when we can’t see it yet.

Thank you, as always, for walking alongside me through art, motherhood, and faith. I’m continually grateful to share this journey with you.

Warmly in Him,

Martina