The Miracle of a Lifetime

During Wednesday night church this summer, different church members have taken turns testifying along the theme of "I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found." A few weeks ago, something was said during one of these talks that stuck with me. I can't remember the exact words, but it was something like, "Salvation is the miracle of a moment, but sanctification is the miracle of a lifetime." I loved that. Every loss, every struggle, every joy, every experience--God uses everything to refine us, to set us apart, to guide us closer to his holiness. Even when we thrust our hands into the potter's wheel and reshape his work, he stands by. He is always ready to take over when we realize the futility of our efforts. And sometimes God gives us the gift of some perspective. He enables us to see the positive changes he has made in our hearts. We can see that our characters have been molded and that we are more useful to him now than we were a few years ago. Those moments of perspective give me so much hope for the future because I know that His work is continuing in me.