NAPLES, Fla. - Perhaps no other art form requires as much concentration as the ancient ritual being performed in Naples. Six Tibetan Buddhist Monks are building a Sand Mandala at Unity of Naples. The art piece is made only one grain of colored sand at a time.

"This is meditation, single point concentration," said Chophel, one of the traveling monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery, "you really need to be focused on every detail."

The ancient ceremony dates back more than a thousand years. The particular mandala in Naples symbolizes compassion.

"I've been watching them from the first grain of sand that they put on the table, and now you just watch it, level after level, taking shape and it's just phenomenal," said Rev. Richard Rogers of Unity of Naples.

Naples is the final stop for the monks after a year and a half tour of the U.S. creating similar masterpieces. It's a craft that takes years to perfect and only a select few monks ever make it this far.

The ritual offers several lessons, from being able to glimpse into a foreign culture, to patience and determination. Another lesson is impermanence. After it is finish, the mandala will be swept away and used to bless the Gulf of Mexico.

"Nothing is going to last forever and in fact, today is never going to happen again, and we tend to forget that," said Chophel.

The mandala will be finished on Thursday and will be on display again on Friday at Unity of Naples, 2000 Unity Way. The Gulf will be blessed Saturday afternoon at Lowdermilk Park.