Spiritual formation involves cutting, weeding, digging, raking, and planting—not with a chainsaw or shovel, of course, but through the work of worship, reflection, prayer, study, and a score of other soul-oriented activities described in books by Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Henri Nouwen, to name a few. When a piece of our land is renewed, Gail and I are always surprised at the beauty that occurs almost overnight. Wildflowers bloom; forest animals visit; good trees mature. The virtues of creation