Earthly things fade quietly, yet the question of what truly holds our heart never fades at all.

A weathered stone set into the doorway of a ruined church tells a story that time has tried to erase. Its inscription was once clear, then worn almost beyond recognition. Buildings crumble. Stones erode. Even carefully carved words disappear. In that quiet fading, we are reminded of a simple but unsettling truth: nothing in this world lasts as we expect it to.

That lesson presses deeper when Scripture echoes it. Jesus warns against storing up treasures that moth, rust, and thieves can destroy. Paul speaks just as plainly, acknowledging that outwardly we waste away, yet inwardly we may be renewed day by day. The contrast is sharp and intentional. What is seen is temporary. What is unseen is eternal. Where our treasure rests, our heart inevitably follows .

The stone bore a short phrase drawn from Colossians: “Things above.” It was not an escape from real life, nor an invitation to float above everyday concerns. Paul makes clear that setting our minds on things above is profoundly practical. He names what belongs to earthly thinking: greed that becomes self worship, desires that consume rather than satisfy, and patterns of speech and behaviour that fracture relationships. These things may feel normal, even successful, but they hollow us out.

By contrast, “things above” are lived out on the ground. Compassion that feels another’s pain. Kindness that costs time and attention. Humility that refuses to push itself forward. Gentleness that speaks without crushing. Patience that endures inconvenience without resentment. These are not abstract ideals. They shape conversations, decisions, and responses when no one is watching.

Paul gathers all of this under one final garment: love. Not sentiment, but a steady commitment to seek the good of others. Love binds every virtue together and gives them coherence and strength. It reveals a life oriented not around possession, status, or self protection, but around Christ himself.

The stone’s message still speaks, even now. Houses, wealth, and achievements will not endure. Hearts shaped by Christ will. To set our minds on things above is to live every ordinary day with eternal values, trusting that what is built in love will outlast every stone.