Hi everyone,

These granite rocks might be the reason we can’t use our hands in 50 years. I’m not kidding.

Every single trench we’ve dug—electric, water, septic field & tank, footings—has been packed with solid rock. We’ve tried everything: jackhammer, concrete saw, sledgehammer, pickaxe, wedges.

For the past three months, it’s felt like all we’ve done is fight rock. And honestly, it’s been exhausting.

But something happened the other day that really put all of this into perspective.

A woman who’s renting us stuff for our wedding told me about a contractor who took a shortcut on their brand new barndominium.

He hit rock while installing their water line… and instead of doing it the right way, he only buried it 5 inches deep instead of the required 18 inches. (Water lines are the only trenches NOT inspected during the build process here in East Tennessee.)

And now?

Every time it freezes, their pipes freeze. She told me there’s water leaking in their floors, walls, and ceiling in their brand new home.

What looked like a small shortcut… turned into a massive problem. Oh and he also stole $30K from them. Surprised?

It made me realize—we’ve been faced with that same choice over and over again these past few months.

We ran into rock in every trench.

Some of our lines needed to be 18 inches deep… others 36… our septic tank over 60 inches.

Remember, no one was coming to inspect our water line. We could’ve taken the shortcut. Honestly—it would’ve saved us weeks of work.

But we didn’t. We chose to dig. To break the rock. To do it the right way.

Not because someone was watching…

But because God is.

And that’s where this really hit me:

Integrity is built in the hidden places. It’s built when you’re tired. When it’s hard.
When no one would ever know if you cut the corner.

But God knows.

“But the Lord knows the hearts of all, and he understands every plan and thought.” — 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)

And He cares far more about who we’re becoming than how fast we’re building.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” — Romans 5:3–4 (NLT)

These past three months haven’t just been about trenches. They’ve been about becoming the kind of people who do the right thing—no matter what it costs.

And this is the part people don’t always see when it comes to real estate.

When we bought this land, it had no power, no water, and no septic.

Because we were willing to do the hard, unglamorous work—digging, breaking rock, installing utilities—we were able to create value and get a great deal.

That’s real estate. Not shortcuts. Not hype. Just work, integrity, and stewardship.

So let me ask you something.

What’s one thing you’ve been avoiding because it’s hard?

Not complicated. Just hard. Schedule time for it this week.

And when you want to quit—because you will—pause and ask God for strength.

He will meet you there.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” — Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Don’t just think about it. Go build.

And just to bring you into where we’re at—we’re officially through the trenching phase (praise God 🙌) and getting ready to start our foundation.

And yes…we did get that septic tank in place.

If you want to see what these past few months have really looked like, we’ve been documenting everything over on Instagram.

And if this spoke to you, we’d really love to hear from you.

What’s something you’re walking through right now that’s requiring perseverance and integrity?

Just hit reply and tell us your story.

We’re right there with you. Let’s go build something that lasts.

Jake & Isa
Prosperity Builders