FOLEY, Alabama — Millions of jigsaw puzzles are sold annually in the U.S. Dr. Rusty Reed bought the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle in 2008. The pediatrician and his family finally finished the huge brainteaser three years later.

Now that the puzzle is completed, Reed had it framed and mounted it Wednesday in his practice building at the Children’s Center.

“I was given strict instructions to finish it by the holidays this year. So I’ve been working really hard,” Reed said.

Reed had a table custom-built two years ago to accommodate the huge puzzle. His carpenter friend, Ron Demetropolis, constructed a tabletop 16 feet by 6 feet that takes up space in the couple’s open floor plan, Reed’s wife, Rosalyn, said.

“We started building the borders of the puzzle on the dining room table, but it was too big to hold the whole puzzle,” Reed said.

The puzzle itself is roughly 14 feet by 5 feet. It stretches across an entire wall in Reed’s practice.

“Have you seen ‘The Last Supper’?” Andrew, Reed’s 19-year-old son, said. “It’s about that big.”

Reed’s children, Kate, 22, and Andrew have helped their father assemble the puzzle. The family had to rent a moving truck to move the puzzle to the doctor’s building downtown, because it would not fit in the back of a flatbed truck.

When the pediatrician bought the puzzle three years ago, it was the largest puzzle in the world with a total of 24,000 pieces. Although the manufacturer marketed a new puzzle earlier this year that contains over 32,000 pieces, the Reeds are still proud of their work.

“Finishing it was a challenge, and I enjoy a challenge,” Reed said. “And the kids will get a kick out of it. You don’t see something like this very often. I thought it would be fun to do it.”

The puzzle, which features bright colors and whimsical scenes, is fittingly titled “Life: The Great Challenge,” based on a painting by Royce B. McClure.

Now that the puzzle is finished and hung in the doctor’s office lobby, Reed’s wife will decorate the dining room and living room that was once filled with the giant table and scattered puzzle pieces.

“It was really fun working on it, but it kind of consumed our life,” Rosalyn said. “Now, we’ll probably read a lot and sit in front of the fireplace.”

Even though the trek to finish the world’s largest puzzle is over, it will always hang in the office lobby.

“It’s a permanent part of the building,” Reed said.