The santon with pruning-shears reminds us of this important lesson: now is the time to become the plant God made us to be. This little saint represents, for me, important lessons in tending the garden: tool cleaning, pruning – and self-pruning.
Self-pruning invites the everyday saint to assess the state of her tools, the health of her branches, and perhaps the need to cut off what gets in the way of proper spiritual growth in her lifelong pilgrimage towards conformity to Christ. This is the art of self-pruning.