"Build me a house," said the Master, <br />"But not on the shifting sand, <br />Mid the wreck and roar of tempests, <br />A house that will firmly stand. <br /> <br />"I will bring thee windows of agates, <br />And gates of carbuncles bright, <br />And thy fairest courts and portals <br />Shall be filled with love and light. <br /> <br />"Thou shalt build with fadeless rubies, <br />All fashioned around the throne, <br />A house that shall last forever, <br />With Christ as the cornerstone. <br /> <br />"It shall be a royal mansion, <br />A fair and beautiful thing, <br />It will be the presence-chamber <br />Of thy Saviour, Lord and King. <br /> <br />"Thy house shall he bound with pinions <br />To mansions of rest above, <br />But grace shall forge all the fetters <br />With the links and cords of love. <br /> <br />"Thou shalt he free in this mansion <br />From sorrow and pain of heart, <br />For the peace of God shall enter, <br />And never again depart."<br /><br />Frances Ellen Watkins Harper<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-building-2/
