In Guatemala, during Holy Week, the streets are filled with colorful alfombras, art carpets made of aserrín (sawdust), flowers, and devotion. Each one is carefully created, only to be walked over hours later. It’s a beautiful reminder: what is offered to God doesn’t need to last forever to have meaning, it simply needs to be given with love.

At Forever Changed International, our teens reflected on this during a devotional led by Jenny. As they talked about the alfombras, they began to see that offering something to God isn’t just about what we can create, it’s also about what we can surrender.

Their fears. Their questions. The things they don’t know how to carry.

Like those carpets, we can lay it all before Him.

If you’d like to experience a piece of this tradition, you can recreate a simple alfombra at home. Start with fine sawdust, or even salt if that’s easier to find, and mix it with a few drops of food coloring or dye. Let it dry completely, then use your hands or simple stencils to create a small design on a table, tray, or even outside on the ground.

As you build it, take your time. This isn’t about making something perfect, it’s about the posture of your heart. You might choose to pray as you place each color, or reflect on something you want to surrender to God this season. And just like in Guatemala, you can let it be temporary, a quiet reminder that beauty can be found even in what doesn’t last.

Because here, we’re watching our teens discover that even the hardest parts of their story can be placed in His hands, and transformed into something beautiful.