Gayle Holdman once received personal revelation that stopped her in her tracks: “You have never completed a stained glass window.”
The idea shocked Holdman — how could that be true when she and her husband, Tom Holdman, had created hundreds if not thousands of stained glass windows?
But then the Spirit taught her that while she and her husband put the pieces together, a stained glass window isn’t truly complete until light comes through it, and light comes from God.
“I remember being overwhelmingly humbled that I literally work with an art form that must be touched by the hand of divinity in order to be enjoyed,” Gayle Holdman said.
And just like stained glass, she continued, people are not complete or perfected — they do not fulfill the measure of their creation — until they allow light to come through them.
“Jesus Christ Himself is that light,” Gayle Holdman said. “His eternal role is to lighten our burdens, brighten our paths, highlight our lives, enlighten our minds and illuminate our very souls.”
Gayle and Tom Holdman spoke during the Friday afternoon keynote session of the 2026 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference on Aug. 14.
The conference takes place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14-15, in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. This is the conference’s fourth year and includes messages from Church leaders, classes, service projects and a variety of activities.
The Holdmans are stained glass artists who began creating in 1991, according to their website. In that time, they’ve created art glass in all 50 U.S. states and in 40 countries, and for more than 150 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
‘A great sword of light’
During their YSA conference keynote, the Holdmans shared spiritual lessons they’ve learned through creating stained glass, including how art helps Tom Holdman navigate the challenges of speaking with a severe stutter.
Tom Holdman recounted the teasing he often faced as a child because of how he talks. But then a kind teacher put paper and crayons in front of him and told him there were other ways he could speak to people.
That moment, Tom Holdman said, changed his life. Visual art strengthened his soul and gave him an “international language” to communicate with. Years later, he even had the confidence to serve a mission.
In his years as a stained glass artist, Tom Holdman said he’s learned that weaknesses aren’t disqualifications but invitations. Every person has a light, he continued, and through the grace of Jesus Christ, that light can become brighter.
Wielding a glass sword on stage, Tom Holdman encouraged young single adults to fight their metaphorical dragons and demons.
“When all hope appears lost, connect your soul to a higher power,” he said. “Then watch as a great sword of light arises within you.”
With that strength, individuals can overcome their challenges. “So I invite you: Place your life in His hands and trust Him with what you cannot yet fix, and watch what He can make of your divine connection.”
Pieces and wholes
Gayle Holdman described how every glass artwork is comprised of many smaller parts — pieces of varying sizes, shapes and colors — which are placed in locations to create a design. Each part is crucial, purposefully selected to fulfill exact needs. And if even one piece is misplaced, a viewer immediately notices, diminishing the work’s effect.
Gayle Holdman said children of God are just like those glass pieces: located all over the world in different sizes, shapes and colors. And as the ultimate artist, God understands His children perfectly, she said. “With this knowledge, He has a specific and unique place for each of us in His divine design.”
But the true glory of a stained glass window, Gayle Holdman said, is when the pieces come together to create an extraordinary whole. Not only is it more visually and emotionally impactful, but it’s stronger and more lasting.
“We, as children of God, echo that characteristic as we come together in Christ, taking our place and adding to the beauty, strength and fulfillment of our own lives [and] the lives of those around us,” Gayle Holdman said.
She encouraged young adults to remember that the world needs their personal light — each individual contributes something only they can.
“Go fulfill the measure of your creation with courage and confidence as an adored child of the most high God, lifting and loving as the Savior has asked,” Gayle Holdman said.
