Memory Metal

A nearly occluded carotid artery slowly squeezes off the flow of blood to a woman's brain. Her brain's supply of oxygen and glucose drops dangerously and she slips closer toward a deadly encounter with a stroke.

However, a confident surgeon guides a tiny sleeve, fabricated from super-elastic metal mesh, weaving it through the labyrinth of the vascular system– its target, the menacing segment of closing artery. The goal is reached, the device deployed, and over a short time it begins opening the throttled channel. The diminutive stent averts the danger and extends life.

This little modern miracle of medical science hitched a ride on the larger development in material science known as Nitinol metal. The alloy, actually an intermetallic compound of nickel and titanium, typically finds its way into the fabrication of wire. Popular descriptions refer to the material as "memory metal." Its remarkable knack to "remember" a former shape gives the artery stent its expanding characteristics.

First developed in the 1970s, Nitinol solved some sticky engineering problems during recent years and now enables novel commercial products. Depending on the exact composition of the metal, at different temperatures it enters various physical phases (or crystalline states).  Form the wire into a particular design (for instance, a beautiful wire sculpture), heat treat it, and the wire will always possess that beautiful design, literally built into its molecular structure. Then, take the sculpture and twist it, bend it, distort it, crumple it into a ball and leave it lying on the floor in a disgusting heap.

Now here lies the truly amazing thing: pick up that ugly crumple, apply some heat to it, and as it heats up, it "magically" begins to untwist, unbend, and un-distort until it resumes the original and beautiful design.

This is much like what God does with all of those horrible and difficult things in our lives. He holds a high and glorious purpose for our flaws, pains and sufferings. Buried within all these inglorious facts and circumstances, our Creator deeply embedded designs of marvelous beauty. From external observation, we cannot decipher or discern the wonder and elegance encrypted within. But when He applies some heat to it at the proper moment, these ugly and distorted realities begin to unfold, expand, and assume their intended proportions and dimensions.

The perfect intention was always there. He saw it from the beginning. He looks beyond the ugliest, most painful facts of our lives and pronounces the design hidden within as complete in His Son. And by the unlimited power of His Spirit He causes these things to conform to His highest desire and aim for them.

May He forever be praised for the wondrous working of His ways.

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>>> Unless otherwise attributed, all text and images are Copyright, Bill Brockmeier, 2015. All rights reserved.

Image is Henry Vandyke Carter's illustration from Henry Gray's "Anatomy,"