The miracle in the caterpillar’s cocoon is but a whisper of the dramatic unfolding of godly character—so foreign to our inherently self-willed nature—being fashioned in the human heart through the intervening power of God’s Spirit. Paul goes so far as to say we “are being transformed into [the Lord’s] image from glory to glory.”(2 Corinthians 3:17). What an incredible metamorphosis this must be! A mysterious process indeed; how can it even be possible? God knows!

Metamorphosis in our character is essentially the old self giving way to the new. Thinking back to what we’ve talked about regarding this issue of self-will, in Christ we now possess the power of choice in spite of our human condition. Being set free from the power of sin has set the stage to accomplish this.(Romans 6:6). Even though at times it may not feel like it, we have the power to choose to lay aside the old self by an act of our will, deciding instead to put on the new self.(Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10). But where does that leave us when we fail to perform perfectly? What does such failure say about genuine transformation in our heart?