J.R.R. Tolkien tells a story of a man who was better at painting leaves than trees. In fact, the leaves he painted were painstaking and exquisite. He continued to feel a pull to make his talent part of something bigger, but the time he would devote to a full masterpiece he selflessly gave to neighbors and friends in need. When he got to Heaven, he was wonder-struck to see the whole tree of which his vision of perfect leaves had been a part.