It is interesting how often gardening or agricultural images are used for describing God and the spiritual life. Ezekiel likens God to the planter and pruner of trees - God not only plants new life in the nation, but he also prunes back the branches when needed. It teaches us that we are not in control - God is.

We would, like Paul, prefer to be with the Lord. But he points out that we are here for a reason, learning to love and serve.

Whether we are in the body or out, our one goal should be to please the Lord. Sometimes we are impatient with what we think is our lack of significant spiritual progress. We want instant results! Using the metaphor of seeds of grain, Jesus points out that the seeds grow day and night, whether we are there to watch them or not. And we do not know how!

So, it is with the Spirit - it does its work in us day by day, in ways that we might not notice at first. God is at work in us, and we need to be patient and cooperate with God's Spirit. The same applies when we do not see immediate results in the good works that we do.

Like the sower, we plant the seed of the Word and move on. God is in charge from that point on. Patience is one of the most important virtues and also the most difficult to learn. God is the planter, pruner, and builder - we do our part, and God does his.