Snow, hoar, rime

Have you ever looked at a snowflake? I mean really, really close! If you have, you have probably noticed that they are like marvelous exquisitely beautiful miniature gems! Snowflakes are indeed like gems because they are crystals, water crystals with a hexagonal structure. What is even more astonishing is the fact that every single flake is absolutely unique!
    It was a farmer from Jericho, Vermont who helped to demonstrate this. Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley (1865-1931) spent his winters photographing guess what -- single snowflakes! With his bellows camera, glass plates and macro lenses he took pictures of more than five thousand individual snowflakes. Each and everyone was unique! Other snow experts continued in his legacy. They are unanimous: among all the snowflakes not a single pair has ever been seen which were exactly the same.
    Shapes of snowflakes are influenced by the rules of physics, especially crystallization. They are shaped by the momentary temperature, dew point, wind, humidity, and also by pure chance present in the cosmic rays triggering the crystallization nuclei. As a result, every single snowflake is a uniquely beautiful and tender crystal of ice.
    Anytime I see snowflakes gently descend from heaven in their multitudes, driven by a strong blizzard or sparkle in the air gently flaking from heavens, I cannot stop marveling over their miraculous overwhelming beauty. I am mystified and perplexed over the superfluous diversity of their nature. Snowflakes are like the rest of creation – unique, gentle, perfect in their unrepeated and unrepeatable shapes and forms. They come in billions and zillions and fill the air and earth with their white, gentle unending excessive plurality and diversity.
    I might know the physical explanation of their formation, yet I rejoice over this auspicious phenomenon of extravagant multiplicity and diversity and sing with Psalmist:

          Hallelujah!
          How good it is to sing praises to our God;
          for the LORD is gracious,
          and a song of praise is fitting.
          ...God gives snow like fleece,
          scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
          God sends rime like breadcrumbs,
          who can endure God’s icy cold?
          Soon at the divine command - all it melts,
          God breathes - and water flows again.
          Hallelujah!

Join us this Sunday allowing snow, hoar and rime to teach, inform and inspire our faith.

And for those who read this far: there is a unique claim that two identical ice crystals were discovered in 1988 by Nancy Knight from National Center for Atmospheric Research. She found in high clouds above Wisconsin two identical thick columnar tubular ice crystals. 

But first of all, these are very specific kinds of ice crystals - many people would have difficulties calling them snowflakes. But more importantly if you look at the picture they actually have minute differences in their structure as well as on their surface. I would claim they are very similar but not identical.