Snow covered mountaintops are remarkable, though not uncommon. Gorgeous sand-covered shores are peaceful, though easily accessible. Hierapolis, on the other hand, is a unique display of God’s exquisite design. Its calcified exterior forged by the Author of science Himself.

From afar, Hierapolis appears an anomaly: a frigid, ice-like exterior in the midst of palm trees and flourishing vegetation. Upon closer inspection, the rocky terrain exposes the marble-like surface of a bubbling mountainside; hot springs layered along the steep slope.Though a rare gem in God’s creation, and a small, ruined town among many in Turkey, Hierapolis is a major player in my ‘top places in the world’ list. Its unique appearance draws you in, and its fallen columns make you stay.

In its glory days, Hierapolis was a thriving city with unbeatable views and resources. Still today, it ropes in thousands who are intrigued by the seemingly mystical waters this site produces. As a child of God, though, I know there is nothing mystical about these hot springs; instead, they are the design of a Maker so in tune with His created that He will give them more than their minds can fathom and more than their hearts can desire.

Heirapolis is a high point of God’s earth for me because it shows how high above us He truly is. Long before beakers and formulas and laboratories, God was mixing minerals and heating water and healing wounds, showing that all of our modern ‘advances’ weren’t made by us, but for us, by a God who sees and loves and gives.

This gorgeous mountain range, white like snow and hard like rock, is a reminder to me that the same God who fashioned this beautiful, rare, and seemingly impossible landscape, is the One who will fashion a beautiful and rare life for me.