St. Augustine of Hippo, the great doctor of theology in the Christian church, long pondered the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Born in 354 AD, Augustine is said to have single-handedly restored faith in Christianity. He spent 30 years working on his treatise De Trinitate (On the Holy Trinity).
Legend has it that one day Augustine walked the beach pondering the mysteries of the Trinity, when he happened upon a small boy running back and forth with a seashell pouring sea water into a small hole in the sand.
He asked the boy what he was doing.
With an innocent smile, the boy replied, "I am trying to bring all the sea into this hole."
Augustine told him that this was impossible, that the hole cannot contain all the water.
The boy replied, "It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do: comprehend the mystery of the Holy Trinity."
Augustine turned away to contemplate this point and when he turned around the boy was gone.
Some say it was an angel of God sent to teach the Bishop of Hippo a lesson in pride. Others say it was the Christ Child himself who wanted to teach him that man would never penetrate the mystery of God.
After that, the seashell became associated with Augustine and later many heraldic symbols, including the family coat of arms of Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, Pope Benedict XVI, and the great Methodist preacher John Wesley.