Pastor Jef Olson writes of his first-hand experience with "houses built on sand":

On our initial visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina our family was in awe of two realities. First, we were reminded of the awesome presence of the ocean – the unrelenting pounding the beach took as wave after wave spent its energy in a rush of spray and foam, the continual movement of sand and shell in response to the force of the water, and the realization that nothing could stand forever against the mighty power contained in the vastness of the ocean. Secondly, we were amazed at the foolishness of homeowners who sank hundreds of thousands (in some cases, millions) of dollars into beachfront homes. These homes sit on pillars driven into the sand, not on bedrock, but driven deep in the hope that the sand itself will provide the foundation necessary to support the house…and keep it secure from wind and sea. Of course, every generation or so wind and sea combine to generate life-denying hurricanes, the force of which has the ability to destroy everything in its path. Palaces were reduced to hovels, remnants of dreams foolishly held by homeowners who believed they could defy, or at least withstand, the meteorological laws of nature.