As I write, I am also looking out the window and seeing lazy snowflakes silently swirling, floating, twirling their way to the ground.
I, like most of you, enjoy seeing a fresh blanket of snow over the landscape. From our driveway, there are times we see a lake below, snow-covered trees around the lake, and snow-covered mountains for miles beyond. The evergreen trees are especially beautiful, with branches hanging low from the weight of the snow. Fog rises from the snow at times—you get the picture.
For some, enjoyment from snow might be confined to beautiful photographs. Getting out in the snow is less of a delight, for one reason or the other, or perhaps you don’t live where snow happens.
One of the intriguing things about snow is the shapes of the flakes. We’ve all probably heard they have six points, and no two are alike. Maybe you have used a magnifying glass or microscope to look at flakes. Perhaps you have seen pictures in Nature Friend or another book. It doesn’t take us long to discover there is an infinite amount of beauty that we know very little about, and neither can we see, in large part.
When Job recorded his conversation with God, one of the interesting questions God asked him was, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” We don’t know what all God had in mind, but we know the intricate designs are definitely a part.
From God’s perspective, He sees each flake in exquisite detail, all the way around from outside in and from inside out. While He created these delicate designs for His pleasure, He is honored when we enjoy them with Him. Through a little work on our part, we can see the designs of a few flakes, at least, and thereby capture a glimpse of His creativity, power, and orderliness.
There are many types of snowflakes, and many variations within categories. Some common ones are dendrite, plates, columns, and needles. In the right humid condition and temperature, snowflakes can grow huge.
Let’s take a closer peek.
With the peek that we took, we can quickly see beauty, design, symmetry, creativity, and awesomeness, but HOW did these take shape? Why are the branches largely symmetrical on many flakes? Why don’t six branches have six totally different looks? Why are some six-sided columns instead of six-sided plates, or hollow columns while others are solid columns? Why are some both columns and plates?
No matter what the field, or how deeply we study into the field, we cannot but scratch the surface of God’s infinite wisdom and creativity. He is a God of order. The laws He created help us to learn and observe some things.
Don Komarechka, in his book Sky Crystals, sheds light on how some of this works. This book has been my main go-to book for snowflake information.
Crystals begin to form when teeny tiny water molecules begin to adhere to each other. They bond together on sixty-degree angles, which, as the flake grows, take on a hexagonal shape. A molecule hitting a “rough” edge is more likely to adhere, while molecules hitting straight edges are more likely to bounce.
The temperature where the snowflakes form in the sky, the humidity level, the wind speed, the air pressure, all factor into the design of the flake. These conditions vary from cloud to cloud. Even how quickly or slowly a snowflake forms has an impact on its design.
So have we “entered into the treasures of the snow?” No, not really. Scientists have learned a snippet, perhaps, but God’s wisdom goes far beyond anything we can learn.
As I’ve pondered snowflakes over the years, there is one thing I keep coming back to. God created the beauty of these snowflakes, every single one of them the world over, for His pleasure. But, His greatest pleasure is washing repentant hearts and cleansing them whiter than snow. We read about that in Psalm 51 and in Isaiah 1. Thank You, God!