Lessons learned from Renovations

Hi, I am in the middle of a rather comprehensive renovation project.  I have been learning quite a few spiritual lessons from this experience and thought it would be quite fun to try and record what I have been learning.  I and my husband bought an oldish house in Somerset West, W.Cape and then rather regretted it.  In fact I went through a serious case of buyer's regret, especially after my architect expressed thinly-veiled disgust at what I had bought. "It doesn't flow; it faces the wrong way; it has so much wrong with it. Why did you buy it?" he asked incredulously.  "Oh," I replied, "We sensed that God led us to buy this?" "Oh, come on, you don't believe that stuff do you?" he asked, scornfully.  "Well, yes, I do.  I find God does lead me and I felt he wanted us to buy this house."  (That night, I hardly slept as I tossed and turned, full of doubt that I had actually heard God correctly.)  Philip, my steady and level-headed husband, had to endure many days and nights of my going over the same ground again and again.  Had we bought the wrong place?  Could I get out of the deal? Can I persuade my attorney to delay the transfer of my other property so that I escape like a fowler from the snare? But each time, he would re-affirm the fact that God had led us to this property and it was his and he would help us make it a beautiful and welcoming home where people would be healed and welcomed and find rest. Yes, he actually told me that and I wrote it in my journal - that's a book where I record what I and Jesus say to each other and it is amazing how much he has to say to me if I bother to listen.
Well, anyway, I've written enough to start off with. But I have lots to share.  Suffice to say that we eventually did take ownership of this house with all its disadvantages - many of which came to light as time went on, and we embarked on a rather huge renovation project.  I airily told my friends that I was just going to turn the house round, give it open-heart surgery and a face-lift.  But in fact that is what we are in the process of doing, and we are discovering that it is going to be rather lovely after all.  And that contains a whole spiritual parable right there.  God doesn't look at us as we appear.  He looks as the heart and He sees the potential and the beauty in us that others can't always see at first.  And then he gets to work on a demolition and re-building process if we let him have his way with us.