met·a·mor·pho·sis
/ˌmedəˈmôrfəsəs/
Definition:
a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Every one of us who accepts Christ as our savior will experience our own unique spiritual metamorphosis. Each one of us will get to experience the different stages of our growth at different times because we all come from different walks of life but Jesus will always meet us where we are and take us from glory to glory.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
I found a resource in google that explains the process of a butterfly that we can view as a spiritual object lesson to our walk with God and how the renewed life takes place in Christ. It is a process and can sometimes be painful but worth it. Here goes!
The process of a butterfly metamorphosis:
Butterflies and moths undergo a complete metamorphosis, which means there are four separate stages. Egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Each stage looks completely different and serves a different purpose in the life of the insect.
Egg Stage: Female Lepidoptera (the group butterflies and moths belong in) often require specific plants, called host plants, on which to lay eggs. A butterfly usually lays 200-500 eggs which vary in shape and size depending on the species. Most species hatch in four to five days, while others may take as long as three weeks.
Larva Stage: When the eggs hatch, tiny caterpillars begin feeding and growing. Its first meal is usually the eggshell, which provides it with important nutrients. Then it will begin eating the host plant. Almost all caterpillars eat leaves but some eat stems, roots, fruits, seeds, seed pods or flowers. They will eat only the host plant and will not move to any adjacent plant of a different species – even if it runs out of food. As they eat and their bodies expand, their skin (an exoskeleton with a limited stretching capacity) becomes tight and eventually splits and sheds, revealing new skin beneath. This is called molting and occurs several times as the larva grows.
Pupa Stage: When the caterpillar has grown enough, it finds a protected spot, molts for the last time, and forms an encasement in which they metamorphose. During this stage, most moth caterpillars spin a silken cocoon while most butterfly caterpillars form a chrysalis. The pupa undergoes tremendous change. The caterpillar releases digestive juices that break down most of its body into a “tissue cell soup” from which it develops four wings, new legs, new eyes, new mouthparts, and genitalia. When the insect emerges, its metamorphosis is complete.
Adult Stage: The fully developed adult splits the pupal case open, crawls out and hangs upside down to facilitate stretching and drying its wings. Its wings are inflated by pumping fluid into the wing veins. At this stage, the wings are very soft and wet and the butterfly/moth must remain suspended while waiting up to two hours for its wings to dry. Once the wings are stretched and dried, the adult flies off to feed, find a mate and begin the cycle again. The average adult lifespan is two weeks but ranges from several days to as long as 11 months.
Matthew 17:2
And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
Exodus 34:29
It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
The more we hang out with Jesus the more we will become like Him as we seek His Word, prayer and a relationship with Him!
Another resource I found in google breaks it down like this:
So what are the stages of spiritual metamorphosis?
Similarly, believers go through outward changes in character. 1 John 2:12-14) gives us a rough guide to these different outward stages of a Christian’s maturity level: little children( babes in Christ), young men( spiritual adolescents), and fathers( mature ones).
The Spirit is calling the Church to maturity; this heavenly calling is no longer a luxury, but a spiritual urgency, given the perilous times and the imminence of the return of Christ. Sadly, the Church is packed with spiritual babes and adolescents, and lacking in fathers or mature believers. Please guard against this error: spiritual maturity is not the same as ministry position, longevity in the faith, familiarity with Christianity, or excessive spiritual activities. It is Christlike in form—stage of spiritual metamorphosis- expressed as our outward manner of life or character.
In summary, spiritual maturity is both a commandment and an expectation from the lord. Keep advancing in the cycle of spiritual maturity: babes to adolescents to mature.
Chapter 7—(Steps to Christ By Ellen G. White)
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. SC 57.1
A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or trace all the chain of circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. Christ said to Nicodemus, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8. Like the wind, which is invisible, yet the effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of God in its work upon the human heart. That regenerating power, which no human eye can see, begets a new life in the soul; it creates a new being in the image of God. While the work of the Spirit is silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest.
If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact. While we cannot do anything to change our hearts or to bring ourselves into harmony with God; while we must not trust at all to ourselves or our good works, our lives will reveal whether the grace of God is dwelling within us. A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are. The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts. SC 57.2
It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we are on? SC 58.1
Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things. SC 58.2
Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians 5:22, 23. They will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now love, and the things they once loved they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the “outward adorning,” but “the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.” 1 Peter 3:3, 4.
Romans 12:2
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.
It is often seen that many of us get discouraged when we do not confirm and still don't see changes within our characters. Maybe God has not given us new victories. I love what Apostle Paul said in phillippians in his own struggles to find encouragement in His battles with the flesh.
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phillippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength."
Dear Lord, help us not to be discouraged when we don't see complete changes in our lives. Give us strength to continue to surrender daily and trust new victories in our lives. That others may Glorify you and be saved. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
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