The Cathedral That Refused to Cut Corners

In 2019, when fire tore through Notre-Dame de Paris, the world watched in horror as the spire collapsed and the roof caved in. But engineers later discovered something remarkable. The limestone walls, laid by medieval masons eight hundred years earlier, held firm. The foundation never shifted. Investigators found that the original builders had driven oak pilings deep into the Seine riverbed and set stone upon stone with such precision that even an inferno could not shake what they had anchored.

When restoration began, chief architect Philippe Villeneuve faced a choice. Modern shortcuts existed — steel framing, synthetic materials, faster timelines. But Villeneuve insisted on rebuilding with the same French oak, the same limestone, the same painstaking craft. Why? Because a cathedral is not just a roof over empty space. It is a dwelling place. It holds something sacred within its walls.

Paul told the Corinthians the same truth. You are God's building, he wrote, and Jesus Christ is the only foundation. Build with care. Every brick of doctrine you lay, every beam of community you raise, every stone of character you set in place — it matters, because the Spirit of the Living God has chosen to dwell inside.

We are not constructing a warehouse for storage. We are building a temple for the Holy One. And temples demand the finest materials we can offer — not shortcuts, not substitutes, but lives built with reverence on the one Foundation that an inferno cannot shake.