READ: ROMANS 8:28-39; EPHESIANS 2:1-10; PHILIPPIANS 1:3-11; 2:13

Have you ever watched a carpenter at work? My grandfather is a skilled woodcarver, and as a young child I thought it was so cool to see him take an ordinary block of wood and turn it into an amazing work of art. Often, it was difficult for me to tell exactly what he was making, but he knew what he was doing and never lost sight of the end goal. Using various tools, he would shape the wood one shaving at a time until the design was just right.

My grandfather’s woodcarving reminds me a lot of what God does with us. Over the course of our lives, He continuously chips away at harmful and unnecessary pieces of our lifestyle and behaviors to create a masterpiece. We don’t always know what the end product will look like, and as we watch God at work in and around us, it can be easy to wonder why certain things are happening the way they are. Perhaps we feel He’s not working fast enough, or we can’t see the point of a painful circumstance.

However, God knows exactly what He’s doing. Even my grandfather makes mistakes or quits in the middle of a project sometimes, but God never does. He sees the whole picture, and He won’t stop until He has fashioned us into the image of Christ. Remember, turning a block of wood into a masterpiece takes time and work. The wood has to endure significant loss and scraping as a skilled carpenter removes the excess and sands down the rough spots. In the same way, spiritual transformation isn’t quick or easy. There will be hard situations, and times when we feel like our progress has stalled. However, God doesn’t give up on us. He is the master carpenter, and He will keep working until we are complete. • Faith Lewis

• Imagine if a block of wood decided to turn itself into a masterful carving. Obviously, that wouldn’t work, but we often do the same thing and try to change ourselves without God’s help. But the only way to true transformation is to put our trust in Jesus—believing He died and rose again for our sins so we could be forgiven and have new life—and then allowing God to work in us. Have you ever gotten impatient with certain parts of your life and tried to change them yourself, without God? What happened? Consider bringing those parts of your life to God and talking to Him about them. Change may not look the way you expect, but you can rest in the assurance that He sees the big picture, and He has promised to complete what He started in you.

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (CSB)