Glass Beach: Beauty from Brokenness

Sharon Wilson reflects on how Glass Beach reveals God’s power to transform brokenness into beauty, just as He refines our hearts through grace. 

When my daughter had a work event in Northern California, I was blessed to tag along. Any opportunity to step away from the deep freeze of a Minnesota winter is one I gladly welcome. The destination — Fort Bragg, a quiet coastal town nestled between the towering Redwoods and the vast, untamed Pacific — was far from a tropical escape, but it held a different kind of beauty. A rugged, awe-inspiring beauty. 

The coastline here is wild, the cliffs standing firm against the relentless waves that pound them day and night. Beaches appear only at low tide, revealing stretches of sand that seem borrowed, not owned, before the ocean reclaims them once more. The power of it all — God’s handiwork in motion — humbles me. 

But there was one place in particular that stirred something deeper in my spirit: Glass Beach. 

Beauty Born from Nature's Power ... and Trash

At first glance, it glimmers like a place of magic, tiny bits of green, blue, amber, and clear glass covering the shore, polished smooth by time and tide. But its beauty was not born of nature alone. Decades ago, this very spot was a dumping ground, where bottles, broken glass, and discarded waste were carelessly tossed into the sea. What was once sharp, jagged, and unwanted has now been transformed into something precious. 

The ocean did what only time and persistence could do: It tumbled, refined, and softened the broken edges until the very thing that was discarded became the very thing that made this beach remarkable. 

And as I stood there, watching the sunlight dance across the smooth glass, I felt the whisper of God’s truth settle in my soul. 

We Are All Broken

Isn’t this what He does with us? 

We are all broken in some way — by loss, by grief, by the unexpected turns life takes. The pain sharpens us at first, cutting deep, making us feel unworthy, discarded, forgotten. But God never leaves us in our brokenness. 

Like the refiner’s fire, He tumbles us through seasons of trial, reshaping and softening our jagged edges. Through loss, I have felt it—God working within me, smoothing the sharp places, making me less rigid, less bound to what was, and more open to what is. I am softer now, not just in body, but in heart, in spirit. 

For He will be like a refiner’s fire … He will sit refining and purifying silver … that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2-3) 

What once felt like devastation becomes transformation. What was discarded becomes sacred. 

So I walk forward, still learning this new path of widowhood, still finding my way in this life I never planned. But I do so knowing that even in my brokenness, God is at work. He is refining, restoring, and making something beautiful. 

And maybe, just maybe, when the light catches me at the right angle, I will glimmer too. 

Prayer: 

Lord, take my brokenness and make it beautiful. Soften my sharp edges, refine my heart, and help me trust Your transforming work in my life. Let Your light shine through me. Amen. 

Take Action:

Find a small stone or piece of glass today. Hold it in your hand as you pray, remembering that God is refining you, just as time and waves smooth the rough edges. Carry it as a reminder of His ongoing work in you. 

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Copyright 2025 Sharon Wilson
Images: (top, center) Canva; (bottom) copyright 2025 Sharon Wilson, all rights reserved.