One stormy night at sea, a wayward man named John Newton feared for his life. In his darkest hour he fell to his knees and prayed--and somehow the battered ship survived the storm.

Grateful, he changed his ways and became a minister, yet he still owned a slave ship. But in time, empathy touched his heart. A changed man, he used his powerful words to help end slavery in England.

Those words became the hymn "Amazing Grace," a song that has lifted the spirit and given comfort across time and all over the world.