On Michelangelo's 'the David'

Michelangelo’s masterpiece in marble, ‘the David,’ has long been regarded as the pinnacle – the ideal – of the human form. I eagerly anticipate the day I visit Florence and can admire the Renaissance sculpture from within the same Italian room.

But from the other side of the Atlantic, when I think about the splendor of the finished project, my thoughts turn towards the sculpting process, towards the long journey from marble to man. The process was likely full of confident anticipation and excitement – the artist was unmatched in his genius, after all. But the excitement was also likely intertwined with a sliver of uncertainty of ‘realizing’ the true artistic vision.

Outside of an apartment full of acrylic paint, my life is a march of 12-hour hospital shifts as I march into my last 12 months of medical school. On the first day of the program several years ago, our faculty physicians told our cohort of students something I still remember – we were accepted into our program not for who we were at the time, but for who they believed we could – and were confident would – become.

We were each a David, still unchiseled, unpolished.

And I believe the concept holds true for each of us when we pause to reflect.

We are chosen for who we have the potential to be.

And if we believe in our artist – Artist, depending on your religious convictions – we each are breathtaking masterpieces, just under a bit of construction at the moment.