The Monument That Had to Start Over Underground

In 1848, workers broke ground on the Washington Monument in the nation's capital. The marble obelisk rose steadily to 156 feet before political turmoil and the Civil War halted construction. For over two decades, the unfinished shaft stood as a national embarrassment — a broken promise jutting into the sky.

When the Army Corps of Engineers returned in 1876 to finish the job, they discovered a problem far more serious than the gap in the marble. The original foundation, only twenty-three feet deep, could never support the monument's intended 555-foot height. Before adding a single new stone above ground, Colonel Thomas Casey's team spent years reinforcing what no one would ever see — the massive concrete foundation beneath the surface.

Today, visitors can spot the faint color line where the old marble meets the new, roughly a third of the way up. But the real story lies underground, where engineers chose to do the unglamorous, invisible work that made everything above possible.

Paul told the Corinthians that no one can lay a foundation other than Jesus Christ. We are tempted to build impressive lives — towering achievements, visible ministries, public reputations. But Paul insists we are God's temple, and the Spirit of the Almighty dwells within us. What matters most is not how high we build but what we build upon. The hidden foundation of faith, prayer, and surrender to Christ determines whether our lives stand or crumble.