by Julie Zine Coleman @JulieZColeman

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your

mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable

and perfect.  Romans 12:2 NASB

In the fall I was student teaching in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a kindergartner carefully brought a monarch chrysalis to school. He found it attached to a milkweed plant by one of the seaside marshes that dotted the coastline. His teacher put it into an aquarium, and over the next few days, the class excitedly observed the changes that were visible within the semi-opaque cocoon.  All eyes were on the chrysalis as they waited for the special moment when a beautiful butterfly would emerge.

One Monday morning before school, around the coffee machine, the kindergarten teacher shook her head in disgust. “The butterfly hatched over the weekend,” she sighed. “The kids are going to be so disappointed.”

While in this case a bit uncooperative, the life cycle of the monarch butterfly is a science lesson most teachers have taught sometime in their career. The insect begins as an egg and hatches into the larva stage (what we call a caterpillar). After a few weeks on an eating rampage, he forms a cocoon around himself, a bright green hard shell dotted with markings that look like gold. Finally, after several days, a beautiful monarch butterfly emerges. The metamorphosis is complete.

Paul uses that same word, metamorphosis, to portray God’s work in us as believers. He describes this ongoing process in Romans 12:2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . .”

Something miraculous has happened to you. You are a new creation. Don’t go back to your old habits and ways of thinking. It doesn’t make sense in light of your new identity.

Transformation sometimes requires a complete destruction of what was, in order to build what will now be.

Our metamorphosis can be a painful process! But it is necessary to make room for the new.

Where sin once dwelled will eventually be inhabited by godliness. Foolishness will be blasted away to make room for wisdom. A life made helpless by out-of-control desires will be transformed to allow the peaceful control of the Spirit. The process may not always be pleasant, but the outcome outshines any temporary discomfort that may be necessary.

Our calling as writers necessitates a metamorphosis as well. God is always at work in us, developing us into ever-more effective writers. He does it as we work and rework every piece. He uses editors that hone and suggest improvements in our submissions. He imparts knowledge as we sit under master writers and publishers at writers’ conferences. Most importantly, as we spend time with Him and His Word, we gain spiritual insight and depth that will ultimately transform our writing content.

God will be faithful to transform our gift into something far more effective than it was at the beginning of our writing journey. Out with the old.  In with the new. It is a process that may at times be distressing. Yet the final results are worth it all.

Julie Zine Coleman is an award-winning author, speaker, and member of the Pastoral Team at New Hope Chapel. She is the managing editor for the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association’s devotional website, Arise Daily. Julie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and has authored four books including Unexpected Love: God’s Heart Revealed through Jesus’ Conversations with Women and On Purpose: Understanding God’s Freedom for Women through Scripture, which was named The Golden Scrolls Book of the Year as well as The Selah Awards’ Director’s Choice. Julie and her husband have four grown children, six grandchildren, and one crazy Golden Retriever puppy.