Once there was a beautiful, small town. The people there had lived in the town for many years. They were all happy and hardworking people. They worked hard and had built a beautiful town, but they were still dissatisfied with their town. Only one thing pained them. They had no church. There was no place were they could gather together to pray, worship and make sacrifices in gratitude to God for their good fortune. So they all decided that they would build a church.

    Everyone contributed what each one could. The rich people donated their money, the clever workmen did their best work, the strong men cut and carried the stones, while others cut down trees to make doors and windows. The women sat down to embroider lovely curtains and the beautiful robes that the priest would wear. They did not care how much it cost or how long it took, but it had to be the very best they could do. They all agreed that only the best was good enough for God.

    One old man who was a stone carver came to offer his help. He was very old and not very strong, but he was an expert in carving beautiful figures. They asked him to carve the figure of an angel to be placed in a corner of the church. The corner was nearly always dark and no one would ever see the angel very closely. Only its face would be seen, but just a little.

    He carved an angel with a very beautiful face. But he felt that this was not enough. Then he went on to carve its robes, as he carved he thought about God and how much he loved Him and wanted this angel to reflect his love for Him. His work was done so well that the robes looked like soft cloth rather than stone.

    One day as he was patiently working, a man came up from behind and stood watching him. He saw how beautiful the carving was, and how the old man seemed to love doing it. “Why do you work so hard on these robes?” he asked, with a smile. “No one will ever see your work clearly, nor will any one know who did it.” The old man stepped back and looked at is work with a quiet smile. “No human, perhaps,” he answered slowly, “but God can see it all the time, and He knows the workman, too.”