Over three days, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Institute in Georgia craft – and subsequently wipe away – a mandala, or sand painting, at University of Maryland's Stamp Student Union.

From its days-long creation to its eventual destruction in a matter of minutes, the mandala's intricate details have deep religious meaning to the monks. Every part of the mandala is meant to symbolize an aspect of the universe and serve as a reminder of life's impermanence, one of Buddhism's central teachings.

After bagging several scoops of sand and giving them to spectators, the monks save the small bit that's left in a pot, which will later be poured into a body of water – another symbol of nature's ephemeral qualities.