Reminder to do our very best

Lloyd received an email about an experience that a man had while working on the Houston Temple. He gave it as a spiritual thought on Thursday. It was so good; I read it to the sisters on Friday. It is written by a man that worked on the temple. This is what he wrote: “As the temple neared its completion, the general contractor and I had occasion to chat one more time. I knew that he was a staunch Baptist, one of the churches, in fact, that was so vocal in its protest over out building a temple in Houston. Over the months, we had become friends, and so I felt no qualms in asking him just what his feelings were, as a Baptist, building a Mormon temple. I will never forget what he told me.
“’ In ancient times,” he said, “Building work was overseen by guilds. The guild masters were the ones who saw to it that the integrity of the craft over which they labored was the best it could be. It you wanted to enter the guild, you had to begin as an apprentice and dedicate long years with little or no pay. The master under whom you labored gave you room and board and your tools. Eventually, you became a journeyman in the guild and you were paid. However, if you wanted to become a master of the guild, you had to present a sample of your work to be judged by the other masters. It had to be a work of outstanding beauty and flawless quality, for it was the work by which your skills would be judged. It had to be a work that would weather the ages, and it was called ‘a masterpiece.’
“The contractor continued, “Every building I’ve ever built has been one where money won out over quality. I have never been able to do the best I am capable of because of budget restraints. It I am grateful for one thing, it is that you Mormons don’t skimp when it comes to your temples. For once, I am able to build to the quality I am really capable of.” Then he looked out over the temple, and his gaze came back to me. His eyes were tearing up a bit. He swept his hand back towards the temple, and his voice got a little reverent. “This is my masterpiece,” he said. “I have been building buildings for almost thirty years. It has been so long, in fact, that they are beginning to tear down buildings that I was sure would live as a testament to my presence long after I was gone from this earth. I am really grateful I had a chance to work on the Houston Temple.”
I wonder what my masterpiece is. I am striving to do my very best at something in my life.