Unfinished

God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6

Sculptors are amazing artists. Some sculpt with clay or sand. Others sculpt with stone. When working with stone, the sculptor starts with a large block of natural stone. He or she may use an electric saw with a masonry blade to make grooves and then use a heavy chisel to remove the larger parts of the stone that aren’t needed for the finished project. Or the sculptor may use a smaller chisel to carefully remove a little bit of stone at a time. Trying to take off too much stone at a time could cause damage.

After the rough shape of the sculpture has emerged, a series of different chisels are used. Through the sculptor’s careful and controlled efforts, the sculpture starts taking shape. Rough edges are contoured. A file helps smooth things out.

Then comes the sanding. The sculptor starts with a coarse sandpaper and advances to a finer one as the sculpture becomes smoother and smoother, and the paper and stone may need to be rinsed during the sanding process. It requires care to sand the sculpture, especially the hard-to-reach places, without damaging the piece. The finished product, dust free and dry, might have sculpting rouge or wax applied.

What does this have to do with you, one of God’s princesses? God is in the process of shaping and polishing you to make you the person he wants you to be. Like the sculptor, God knows what the finished product—you—should look like. He may have to chisel off rough edges of anger, jealousy, or impatience to help you get to that place.

Unlike a stone statue that can be finished in months or years, God’s work of making you all he wants you to be is a lifelong process. He wants you to continue to grow and be polished in order to become like Jesus.

God does this work in you, but you can also do things to help yourself grow in your Christian life. These may include reading your Bible, praying, telling others about your faith, attending church and youth group, helping others, and taking part in ministry projects. All of these, done out of love for Jesus, will help you become who God wants you to be.

What things do you think God wants to chisel out of your life? What one thing can you do today to help you grow in your faith? Write it down, and at the end of the day record how it went.