Christ Produces Beauty From Ugliness

At my place of work we have on display some incredibly ugly plants. They were placed there by the former headmaster and I have taken it upon myself to water them in his absence. They are twisted and unkempt and their big fat leaves grow little spikes that they might better prick unwary passers-by.

Why on earth would he have put them there? Well the answer arrived last month. Upon them now are the most gorgeous pink and purple blooms growing from the midst of their ugly centres. Truly, the beauty was there within them all along, but only the right conditions would see the flowers grow.

Our fallen bodies and spirits are sullied by sin. It blights our hearts and tarnishes our souls. But when Christ does a work in the heart and His grace renews our minds, even the fallen sons of Adam can produce fruit unto righteousness.

Peter writes in his first epistle chapter 3 verse 3:

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Outside of Christ we are ugly, gnarled and prickly. In Christ, we produce beauty pleasing to heaven.  

I have briefly looked inside Hessayon’s House Plant Expert and cannot find the plants’ name. Readers with greater knowledge are invited to share what they know.