The Bible teaches that you were created to become like Christ. God announced this intention at Creation when in Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” What does the image and likeness of God look like? Jesus! Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” The more we become like Jesus the more we reflect the image and likeness of God.
The story is told of a child on her way home from church with her mom when she turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preachers’s sermon this morning confused me.” “Oh? Why is that?” she asked. The little girl responded, “Well, the preacher said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?” “Yes, He is,” her mom replied. “And he also said that God lives in us. Is that also true, Mommy?” Again, her mother answered yes. “Well, said the little girl, “if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, shouldn’t He show through?”
God wants to change our character so that Christ shows through. God wants to work on us the same way a jeweler works on a diamond. A diamond goes through quite the process of change from mine to market. It’s rough and ugly when it first emerges from the mine. But it’s smooth and beautiful when it finally arrives at market. In the same way, when we first get saved we are rough in character, but God goes to work on us and slowly but surely transforms our character to diamond quality. So the saying is true – you really are a diamond in the rough! God wants the beautiful diamond of your character to show through.
Now let me be clear – God wants to change your character and conduct, not your unique personality. He created your uniqueness so the last thing God wants to do is destroy that which he created. So when we talk about God changing us, we’re always referring to God’s desire to make us more like Jesus in our conduct and character.