Recently, the botanical garden near my home had a butterfly exhibit. As the butterflies interacted with us, the guide explained their life cycle. That process—probably first learned by us when we were youngsters in school—is still a wonder to me. First the butterfly egg is laid on a plant by the adult female. The plant will then become the food for the hatching caterpillar. When the caterpillar is full grown, it will stop eating and become a pupa, called a chrysalis. To the observer it may look like nothing is happening during this stage, but legs, wings, eyes, and other parts are forming. When the new butterfly emerges, it can fly.

What is interesting to think about with regard to this miracle of nature is this: “The butterfly doesn’t replace the caterpillar; the butterfly is the caterpillar in a more developed and consummate form. The butterfly is what God intended the caterpillar to become” (Sam Storms, 2019). Likewise, when you are transformed by the Holy Spirit, you are becoming what God intended you to be.