The painting is a thought about God as a carpenter. There’s a drop ceiling in Joseph’s shop. When God comes in, he always remodels. On the table is a blueprint. When you see blue in a religious painting it often refers to the Virgin Mary. This painting is a family portrait. Mary is a blueprint for the Christian life. Jesus is holding a plum bob. A plum bob is a carpenters tool to find a fixed point against which other parts of the building can be measured. Jesus is a fixed point against which we can measure our lives.  On the plum bob is engraved a reference to the early part of the gospel of John which states that ”without him was nothing made.” The photo in the background is a Spiral galaxy. God made the universe as a place for people to live.