Can a picture reveal one’s spirit as a symbol reveals God? The flowers remind us of the gift of life, the water blesses life, and the fire reminds us of God’s presence.

And then, as fires like jewels germinate

Deep in the stone heart of a Kaffir mountain,

So now our gravity, our new-created deep desire

Burns in our life’s mine like an undiscovered diamond. (Freedom as Experience, Thomas Merton)