Tree Bark

      I wrote my Sunday message this morning but I wasn't able to say everything I wanted to so here I am.
     Have you ever really looked at a tree? It is covered in a rough, gnarled, weathered bark. If you strip away the bark and sand it down, you discover the tue treasure inside.  Wood that is unique and beautiful.  This wood can be shaped into many things depending on the vision of the carpenter working with it. 
     Before God comes into our hearts, we have this rough, gnarled, weathered exterior. Once He comes in, all of that is stripped away, sanded down, and He shapes us into His image which is the true treasure that is able to shine through.  
      The Bible says in Ephesians 4:22-24---"You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted be deceitful desires (the rough, gnarly, weathered bark); your are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth." (The true treasure hidden inside).
     The process of the stripping and sanding is painful at times but we know that the end result is going to be amazing! How? Because the end result is that God is shaping us into His image and His likeness and that in itself is beyond comprehension. 
     Allow God to strip away the rough, gnarled, weathered bark in your life and let the true treasure shine through!!  Be blessed.  I am always praying.