A beautiful little boat, I made,
I whittled it out of wood;
I sanded and painted it,
I made the rudder good!
I took it to a stream to see
How sea-worthy was my boat,
But the current swept it away from me
Though it was still afloat.

I ran by the bank and watched It go —
That beautiful boat that I loved so;
At last I found I could follow no more,
And I guessed that it crashed on some distant shore.

In a storekeepers window I passed it by —
That same little boat I had made!
I ran inside and examined again
Every detail my hands had laid.
"It’s my boat! It is mine!" and I told the clerk
The story I just have told you;
But he said, "Now it’s mine and a price is affixed;
There’s nothing more I can do."

So I gathered my coins and counted them twice,
I bought it again and paid the full price.
I treasured the boat I had formed with my hands;
Gladly I paid for my treasure again.

…God dipped down His hand and gathered some clay,
… Just dust by the road of life.
He fashioned a man in the image of God —
He fashioned the man a wife.
He gave them a will of their very own,
And made them a perfect day;
But they stumbled and fell and started for Hell,
From the garden driven away.

But God in His Love sent His Son from above,
He lived as a man and taught of God’s Love.
He portrayed a God we could see and feel;
A God we could know for sure was real.

Then the evil one sneered, "These are mine, You see —
They belong to me — every one!
A price is affixed and it’s so very high
That no one can pay — not one!
So Jesus took thirty-nine stripes and a crown
Of thorns that pierced His head.
He carried a rugged old cross on His back
All the way up the hill He was led.

He paid again — so dear the cost! —
For the treasure He loved that had looked so lost!
And the act of His love waits acceptance from you —
What else, dear friend, can Jesus do?

by Joan Clifton Costner