KIM LAWTON, guest anchor: The word "mandala" comes from Sanskrit, meaning circle or completion. Mandala symbols have been used for centuries in many religious traditions. In Tibetan Buddhism mandalas are often an aid to meditation. Tibetan Buddhist monks travel around the world making intricate mandalas out of sand. We watched as 20 Buddhist monks created a mandala here in Washington.

Each morning of their visit at the Smithsonian Institution, the monks made music and chanted to help them and their visitors become more peaceful.

Then the monks went to work on what would become a seven-foot-wide sand mandala. The sacred design, they said, symbolized the universe -- the means to enlightenment and the balance of mind and body.

Rubbing a cone created vibrations that made the grains of sand flow.

It took them three painstaking weeks of work to complete it.

The monks believe a mandala creates positive, healing energies for everyone, so in order to