Too many of us are busy trying to repair our old nature and make it look good, when God's in the business of throwing out the old and crafting something brand new. When your car's been declared a loss in an accident, if you're insured, you receive a new car. But if it isn't totalled, you get it repaired and hope it runs well.

God has declared our old nature a total loss. He wants you to concentrate on the new nature He has given you. If you've spent years trying to fix up what God says cannot be fixed up, allow the truth of God's Word to liberate you from a very frustrating way of life. To understand this, think of caterpillars and butterflies. Caterpillars are not very pretty. But once they break free from the cocoon of their old nature and become butterflies, the transformation is incredible. What was once ugly is now beautiful. A creature that could only crawl can now soar.

But this transformation requires a growth process, and it isn't always easy. There's a lot of struggle involved. But the result is worth the effort. A butterfly is not just a fixed up caterpillar, but a new creature with a new capacity for life. And the good news is, we don't become butterflies in our own strength. From God's perspective, willpower is no power. Paul writes, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). Our job is just to draw close to, submit to, and cooperate with God in this work.