In the contemplative life, every simple gesture becomes a precious jewel in the eyes of God. Sister Alicia Correa, OAR, shares with us the beauty hidden in the small from the cloister.
Small things in the closing
St. Peter Julian Eymard, apostle of the Eucharist, says:
“To make big things you use big stones, but to make jewelry you use small things.”
Our cloistered life is characterized by this: by the small, the simple, the everyday. We do not live for the appearance or the external noise, but for the truth hidden in the ordinary of each day, where God reveals himself silently. 
A simple life that renews
We contemplatives savor the beauty of an awakening wrapped in faith, of a kind gesture, a whispered prayer, a silent smile, a flower, the rain on the glass or the caress of the wind.
We discover that beauty lives in silence, and that God – all that is ours, all that is intimate – dwells in that hollow of the heart where his hidden greatness cries out.
Praying hands, welcoming hearts
In our daily chores, our laboring hands are interrupted to raise themselves to heaven, in a prayer that unites everything. We live attentive to the small details that arise throughout the day, aware that God’s faithfulness is hidden in them.
Obstacles do not extinguish a vocation, but make it grow. In difficulty, perseverance is sculpted; in monotony, virtue flourishes.
The art of being small
What is it about the small that pleases God so much?
Throughout our lives we learn to be a mustard seed: minimal on the outside, immense on the inside. To glimpse the soul of simple things, like that speck of dust that dances in the rays of the sun during the hours of prayer.
Here everything is discreet, everything is gift. The greatness of the Child in the manger reminds us that salvation comes in the form of humility.
Simplicity, concealment and fidelity
The power of the small impels us to spread our wings in the hidden, in quiet love, in faithful service. God wants us to be great, yes, but from the small. Because there, in what no one sees, He works wonders.