As I've deepened my love for the Rosary over the past year, I've come to like the term "weapon". The Rosary is indeed a weapon against the wickedness and the snares of the devil. With that in mind, I stumbled on this crucifix which reminded me of the toughness of a good weapon. When describing it to a friend, I told him that it's a "bad ass" crucifix. I realize that's a strange way to describe a crucifix, but if you're going to hold a weapon in your hand, and use it, you don't want something that is wimpy.

I had also recently changed the homescreen on my smartphone to an image of St. Michael the Archangel. It's that image you've probably seen, with him in battle, yielding a sword as he tramples the head of Satan.

So, I set out to design a rosary for myself. I already had the crucifix along with a centerpiece featuring St. Michael the Archangel; now I needed the beads. Pegi, my high school classmate, had recently told me of a bead store in Green Bay called NEW Beads and Jewelry. So I went there and found some ceramic black beads with some matching beads that are kind of a mystical blue color with some black marbling.

As always, the chain, eye pins, and jump rings are all silver plated steel. And, with 40 being such a biblical number, I'm glad to be keeping this one for myself. I love my new weapon!