God Created the Finisher

From the locks on the doors that protect our children, to the lawman's tools that protect the peace, to the defense equipment that protects the freedom of a nation, to the power grid that fuels a civilization, to the hi-tech medical equipment that sustains human life, God needed someone to ensure these functioned when needed and did not wear away before their time, so He created the Finisher.

The farming equipment that feeds the world, the appliances that simplify our lives, the brilliant coating on a brand new truck, the ornate relics in our most sacred shrines all owe their appearance and longevity to the Finisher.

Part chemical engineer, part research scientist, part salesman, plant superintendent, regulatory expert, environmental steward, blue collar equipment operator, part parent and coach to so many more than just their own family, God had to have someone so versatile as to play each of these roles and play them to perfection, so He made the Finisher.

Not for the love of money but for that of their craft and their industry, God had to have someone who could endure a blazing shop floor at the peak of summertime and weather a blizzard in the icy depths of winter to keep a commitment, someone who could treat their suppliers fairly enabling them to support themselves and employ countless others, who could devote themselves to nature and the environment and at the same time to their employees and customers and balance and protect the needs of each , someone who could adapt to ever-changing regulations and the ups and downs of the dynamic economy, and reinvest in their business even when conventional wisdom says no.

If, tragically and suddenly, fire were to rip through a coatings plant, destroying a family's livelihood, a grandparent's legacy, an employee's hope and the will of a lesser man or woman: should a major customer move its work halfway around the globe, God needed someone with the tenacity and vision to rebuild and fight another day.

But He also needed someone with the patience to find a way to complete the job, even when the rest of the supply chain consumed the lead time. They needed someone who could be comfortable coming to work on Monday not knowing what orders he would be running by Wednesday, or even if those orders would come, someone who would interrupt a perfect production schedule to accommodate a customer's expedite, someone who would rework a part as many times as it took and then study their process like a learned scholar to make sure that they got it right the next time.

God needed someone who could lay awake half the night worrying about a tank overflowing, a payment to the bank, a promise to a customer or the wellbeing of an ailing employee yet still rise early, put in an eleven hour day by four in the afternoon, leave their plant to watch their child's baseball game or share a meal with their family, and then return to work to finish a job that a customer just had to have first thing the next morning, so He created the Finisher.

Making decisions on faith, keeping promises on principle, compassionate when necessary and resolute when vital, matchless, brave, patient, innovative, flexible, persistent and loving. For all of these, God created the Finisher. And well He did.