Emphasis Preaching Journal

Picture the scene: three athletic young people, standing side by side -- medals around their necks, olive wreaths perched upon their heads, some of them holding (or even wearing) their nation's flag. Often, there are tears. Always, there is pride: pride in themselves, their teammates, their nation. It's a proud and thrilling moment, the Olympic medal ceremony. For those athletes, it represents the pinnacle of their young lives: the culmination of years of grueling daily practice, of physical and mental pain, of sacrifice.