"Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs
of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that
we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
Everyone has heard of and seen pictures of the beautiful
Eiffel tower, which dominates the skyline of Paris. Most of us, however, know
very little about it or its construction. By going online and searching for
information on the Eiffel tower you can learn a number of very interesting
facts about this world-renown monument, designed by Gustave Eiffel, and built
to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution. Work started
in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. In total, it was in
construction for 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days! They sure worked fast in those
days!
Fifty engineers and architects put their heads together
to complete the blue prints for this massive structure, and it took 250 workers
to put it in place. If you think about it, that's a ratio of 1
engineer/architect per 5 workers! Who is more important?
Pickaxes were used to dig to a depth of seven meters, and
sixteen stone blocks were used for each corner of the tower.
During the construction, there were no elevators for the
workers. This meant that going down was much faster than going up!
Scaffolding was used only for the first floor, but not on
any of the higher levels. What a nightmare those workers must have faced!
To help the poor workers save time, a cafeteria was built
on the first floor. It must have taken them all day to climb up that tower and
back!
In 1905, someone succeeded in climbing the stairs to the
first floor in 3 minutes and 12 seconds. Unfortunately, no one seems to
remember his name. Poor guy! All that running for nothing!
It takes 60 tons of paint to repaint the Eiffel tower every
seven years. Twenty-five daredevil painters are hired for 18 months. Naturally,
unleaded paint is used to save the environment. The tower itself weighs 10,100
tons, minus the 60 tons of paint naturally!
Between 1982 and 1985, renovations to the Eiffel tower
were made. At that time, it somehow lost 1,348 tons of its weight.
The tower itself is 324 meters high (higher than a
building containing 120 floors), and it takes 1,665 steps to go up to the top.
Believe it or not, some hated these steps so much that instead they climbed the
tower using ropes, just like alpinists.
All in all, a lot of pain and nightmarish effort went
into building the Eiffel Tower. Was it worthwhile?
Just ask the millions of tourists who visit her yearly!
Some even refer to her as one of the seven wonders of this world.
Can suffering be worthwhile?
Absolutely! Especially if we compare it with the glorious
end result!
Dear Lord we pray that we would not complain about the
process to accomplish what is before us. We pray that we would look forward to
the glorious reward that You have for each of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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