Some of the most beautiful wood in the world is found in what is called “burled” grain. Intricate patterns and endless variations in color occur in these sections. Curls and swirls turn and twirl in the wood, creating flecks and checks that provide fascinating visual and textural effects. These beautiful pieces are actually “scars” in the tree.

The burl is formed after some damage occurs to the trunk. Most often, a branch is broken off or dies and falls off later. Burls can also form around a foreign object embedded in the tree or around a lightning scar. The damage can open the tree up to disease and rotting but if the tree heals, it forms a burl. The new wood grows in a manner unlike anywhere else in the tree. On standing timber, the burl looks like a bump or wart on the side of the trunk. But when the bark is peeled off and the wood worked into furniture stock or an art project, its beauty emerges. Beauty to the extent that burl grain may be worth twenty times the value of common lumber worked from the same tree. It is so valuable it is usually reserved for only the most exquisite furniture–or accent trim in expensive automobiles.

Some of our most beautiful and precious qualities are formed by our wounds, our trials, our losses. True, those things can damage and distort us. But, if through faith and grace we recover and heal, traits of character such as patience, empathy, insight, endurance, compassion, and humility are formed deep within us.

It is through adversity and suffering that our most God-like qualities are shaped.

H. Arnett

2/25/01