The Alpha and the Omega

How a Builder’s Wound Became a Work of Art

By Franco Grimaldi

After long days managing construction projects, Diego Urioste Bedregal often retreats to his studio—a quiet space filled with brushes, paints, and scattered materials. As the noise of the workday fades, reflection takes over. The precision of his day job gives way to creation, and that creation becomes worship.

By trade, Diego builds structures. By calling, he builds meaning. A construction project manager and part-time pastor, he bridges the practical and the spiritual. His paintings and mixed-media works transform the ordinary into something alive, mirroring the divine process of restoration: shaping what is broken into something whole.

“Whether I’m on a construction site or in my studio, I feel the same calling,” Diego says. “It’s to build something that reflects God’s design—something that lasts beyond me.”

The Nail That Changed Everything
A few years ago, a construction-site accident changed Diego’s life. He stepped on a rusted nail that pierced deep into his foot. What seemed minor quickly became life-threatening—an infection that left him bedridden for weeks. Doctors warned that amputation was likely.

By what Diego calls a miracle, he recovered fully. Yet the long immobility tested him deeply. Used to building and movement, he suddenly had to sit still. In that forced quiet, something new began. Searching for peace, he turned to sketching and painting. What began as distraction became revelation.

“When I couldn’t walk, I asked God, ‘What can I do with this time?’” he recalls. “And what I heard was, ‘Create. Use what’s in your hands.’”

The nail that wounded him became a symbol—of fragility, faith, and redemption. Out of pain came purpose. When he finally stood again, Diego carried more than healing; he carried calling. “The same thing that wounded me became the tool God used to open my eyes,” he says. “That’s redemption in its purest form.”

Building with Purpose
Diego’s dual vocations—construction and ministry—share one foundation: renewal. In both, he works toward restoration. The patience and discipline required on a job site find spiritual parallels in his creative life.

His art often incorporates construction materials—wood, nails, wire, and steel. He doesn’t disguise their roughness but elevates it. Every seam and texture speaks to endurance, each imperfection a reminder that beauty doesn’t depend on flawlessness.

“I love working with materials that weren’t meant for art,” he says. “It reminds me that God can take anything—even what’s overlooked—and make something extraordinary.”

Faith and creativity are inseparable for Diego. Every act of making is an act of trust—a reflection of unseen grace taking visible form.

A Family of Creators
Art runs through Diego’s family. His mother and brother are painters; another brother works in both paint and sculpture. Their home was alive with color and conversation about imagination. Though Diego pursued a career in operations management and construction, that creative current never left him. His sense of design on the job site, he later realized, was an inheritance—a continuation of that artistic lineage.

One of his favorite projects is a “storybook tree” he sculpted for a local preschool. Fashioned from construction materials, the sculpture turns the functional into the fanciful—a perfect representation of how Diego’s faith and artistry intertwine. Both reimagine what already exists, breathing new life into what once seemed ordinary.

Creating as Healing
For Diego, art has become both reflection and prayer. Each piece unfolds slowly, through thoughtful contemplation.

“My process is guided not by design but by faith,” says Diego. “The same kind of faith I speak about as a pastor: Having confidence in what cannot yet be seen.”

He sees creation as a mirror of redemption. Whether restoring a structure, ministering to a congregation, or shaping a piece of art, the same truth applies—transformation takes time, patience, and the willingness to begin again. The layers of paint, the weight of nails, the visible textures all point to this reality—that grace builds upon what came before, turning pain and imperfection into beauty.

“Every painting is a prayer,” Diego says. “It’s my way of saying, ‘Here’s what grace looks like when you give it shape.’”

The Alpha and the Omega
Among his most meaningful works is The Alpha and the Omega, a mixed-media piece uniting his vision, faith, and story of renewal. The composition shows two halves of a fish—the head on one side entering, the tail on the other departing—divided by deep blue water.

Each half is sculpted from hundreds of nails, hammered in at varying depths to create movement and light. Around them, the surrounding sea is built up with layers of thick, sculpted paint, giving the surface both depth and texture. The result is something between painting and relief sculpture—alive with motion and meaning.

The fish, an ancient emblem of faith, is built from the very thing that once wounded him. The nails no longer wound—they create. The Alpha and the Omega speaks to beginnings and endings, to the unbroken circle of redemption, to the God who restores.

“When I look at that piece,” Diego says softly, “I see my story—the pain, the healing, the faith that holds it all together. It’s not just art. It’s testimony.”

Another piece, Wild Ox, stands as its strong counterpart: dark and dynamic, sculpted from mesh and sheet metal, radiating resilience and strength.

Together, these works embody Diego’s vision: that art, labor, and faith are all parts of one creative act. Whether he’s managing a construction project, leading a sermon, or shaping a canvas, Diego lives by the same truth—every act of building is a testimony to grace.

A New Chapter: Restoring Elmore’s Landing

Now, another act of renewal begins. Diego has finalized an agreement to work at Elmore’s Landing in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Once a beloved folk-art haven founded by the late Joe Elmore, the gallery has long stood quiet—with only its creative memory echoing within.

In taking the lead on bringing this place back to life, Diego sees more than a renovation. He sees redemption—an opportunity to breathe new spirit into what was left behind. Years ago, Joe Elmore began this work, shaping a space where imagination and community could meet. Now, Diego steps into that legacy with a renewed artistic and pastoral vision, intent on transforming the abandoned grounds into a living reflection of hope, faith, and creation.

For him, the reopening of Elmore’s Landing is not just about reviving a gallery—it’s about reclaiming purpose from decline. Just as his art was born from a wound healed by grace, this restoration will honor the same truth: that even what has been forgotten can be remade into beauty.

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For more information about Diego Urioste Bedregal, visit Durioste.com. Elmore’s Landing is located at 24728 U.S. Highway 331, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.