In the Lotus Sutra the Buddha praises the children who draw images of the Buddha in the sand with sticks and says the merit of their offering is as great as the offerings of precious jewels. What matters most is doing something, doing it joyfully, and doing it with sincerity. From the eyes of mere common mortals the offering of a sand image of the Buddha does not appear to be as great as the offering of gold statues. From the perspective of Buddhism, the sand images could be more valuable due to sincerity and joy.