Article November 12, 2007 Issue

EXQUISITE beauty

BY SUSAN D. FLEMING

When our younger daughter was in third grade, she loved to keep a little stack of index cards with her favorite words on them. The words were not selected for any reason other than that she liked the way they sounded—she liked how they rolled off the tongue.

Occasionally she added a new word to her collection, but one always remained on top: exquisite. Our daughter took great delight in finding every opportunity to incorporate this favorite word into her creative writing or slipping it into a conversation. To this day, several years later, the members of our family light up if we hear that word.

More than how the word sounds, however, I have come to love it for what it means. The dictionary defines exquisite, in part, as "choice; marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful ... execution; pleasing through beauty, fitness, or perfection." Exquisite. Flawless. Beautiful. These are words that describe the nature of God's universe and His beloved sons and daughters.