What effect does Black Mary have on Lily's maturation/development in The Secret Life of Bees?

Black Mary, or "our Lady of Chains" had once been a
figurehead on a ship. It survived and washed ashore where a local group of people took
it in and made it the basis of their religion. Black referred to the weathering of the
wood, which made it all the more symbolic to those African-Americans who rescued the
statue from the sea. Both the statue and the worshipers had much in common. Both
survived the harshness of life and its conditions. Lily was drawn to the statue as a
source of hope and faith, but did not feel she had the right to touch the sacred statue.
Mary gave Lily the outlet for prayer and guidance in her own troubled past. As she came
to terms with those issues, Mary became the inspiration for forging ahead with life and
forgiving the past.