Is it just a fluke of science and nature, or was that palm tree in Clearwater working under the guiding hand of God to create a modern miracle? Perhaps (just as evolution is the method by which we are created by divine force) the sunsets, chemical cleaners and treetops all followed divine will to a predetermined end. Do you believe?

   A strange, rainbow-colored image appeared on the mirrored windows of a Florida office building just before Christmas 1996, leading many observers to declare it a manifestation of the Virgin Mary, mother of the Christian god Jesus. Millions of believers have traveled from across the country and around the globe to view the alleged miracle.

   The Marian apparition occupies about a dozen glass panes of a large office building in Clearwater, Florida, which at the time of the image's appearance housed the Seminole Finance Corporation. The stained area, about 50 feet tall and 35 feet wide, suggests the curves of a hooded head and shoulders surrounded by an ethereal glow. Analysts believe the colorful streaks were created by mineral deposits left behind by spray from nearby water sprinklers. The image was first noticed after palm trees in from of the windows in question had been cut down, and the palm leaves brushing against the glass probably helped shape the stain.

   This explanation has not deterred an estimated 1.5 million sightseers from flocking to the building. A great number remain convinced that the image is the form of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or perhaps Jesus, as some have suggested. Crowds are persistently gathered outside the building, where it is common to see people praying and weeping at the supposed vision. The resulting pilgrimages have meant headaches for the Clearwater city council, which has had to take measures to accommodate new levels of congestion and pedestrian traffic in the area.

   Mike Krizmanich, the building's owner, counts himself among the faithful. Saying that the image is a gift from God to be protected and shared, he announced in early May that he would turn the office building into a permanent shrine. Krizmanich was also the owner of Seminole Finance Corporation, until he sold the business earlier this year to Ugly Ducking Car Sales Inc. Ugly Duckling has been running its collections department out of the building temporarily. When it finds a new location, Krizmanich will presumably set about converting the office space into a house of worship.

   In late May 1997, an unforeseen development entered the picture. An unknown assailant defaced the revered image by splattering several of its panes with a corrosive chemical. The image is still readily recognizable, but the damaged areas are apparent and irreversible. The attack has rekindled public interest in the apparition, just as the novelty seemed to be wearing off.

   "I thought she was crying when I first saw it," said Sandi Christian, a spectator viewing the damaged glass. "Then someone told me it was vandalism."

   What method was used to deface the image? Speculation has run from high-powered water guns filled with acidic chemicals to ammonia-filled water balloons. A television reporter suggested that the windows may have been pelted with tomatoes, whose natural acids could have caused the damage.

  Time and vandalism seem to have had little effect on the staying power of the image in Clearwater. But many ideas of how, why and what the image are have come forth. Is it the Virgin Mary, or the Great Goddess or just a bad day for somebody washing tinted windows? Some say how it was made is unimportant, the image speaks for itself.

  In the end, it is probably not important how the image arose. Like a huge boulder balanced on a pebble or any carefully observed sunset, like the monuments of the American west or the big red rock in Australia - there are many wonders that hint of a greater hand. What do you believe? When it comes to the Virgin Mary in the window, the best way to decide is to go see for yourself!