Iron Sharpens Iron

Iron Sharpens Iron

Painting by: Vashti Graham

Embroidery by: Lauren Robertson

Artist Description:

Just as iron blades become sharper when they strike each other, people grow sharper (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) through interaction, accountability, and encouragement. True friendship and fellowship don’t just comfort; they refine, strengthen, and shape us into better versions of ourselves. The swords clashing represent the friction and resistance that come with growth, as sparks fly just as truth and challenge ignite change in us. The intense expressions on both figures show focus and determination, symbolizing two people equally committed to becoming better. The glowing light between the swords conveys spiritual energy and God’s presence in the sharpening process. Growth isn’t destructive; it’s transformative, producing light and strength. The mirrored stance of the figures reinforces equality and mutual respect, with each person strengthening the other. The painterly style is full of movement and layered strokes, visually expressing how refinement isn’t smooth. It’s active, passionate, and alive. This painting perfectly visualizes how friendship, mentorship, or faith based community can bring out the best in one another through grace, truth, and a little holy friction.

Scripture Reference:

Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Additional Fact You May Find Interesting:

In the ancient world, iron tools and weapons didn’t get sharpened the way they do today. There were no fancy grinders or electric sharpeners. Blacksmiths and everyday people sharpened iron by rubbing or striking it against other iron. It was loud, messy, sparked, and required pressure. If you were too gentle, nothing happened. If you avoided contact, the blade stayed dull. So when the original audience heard “iron sharpens iron,” they immediately pictured sparks flying and metal scraping (not a calm, peaceful moment).

Here’s the wild part: iron striking iron wears both pieces down. Both blades lose material in the process. Yet both come out sharper. Biblically, that’s huge. God wasn’t saying one person improves while the other stays untouched. He was saying growth is mutual, and sometimes costly. You don’t walk away unchanged when you speak truth, challenge someone you love, or hold them accountable; you’re refined too.

Also, iron was valuable. It wasn’t wasted casually. So choosing to sharpen iron meant intentional relationship. You didn’t sharpen with just anyone. That mirrors biblical community: God places us in relationships where trust exists, because truth without trust just wounds instead of refines.

Sparks in Scripture often symbolize God’s active presence (think fire refining gold, the burning bush, or God’s glory appearing as light). So those sparks? They’re not chaos. They’re evidence that God is at work in the friction.

So Proverbs 27:17 isn’t about arguing or tearing people down. It’s about loving someone enough to engage, knowing it might be uncomfortable, knowing it might cost you something, but trusting that God uses that holy friction to shape both hearts. Growth in Scripture is rarely quiet, it’s forged.

This piece is especially meaningful because it was the first work in my third art series, The Church Is Us, and was created alongside my Bible study partner, Lauren.