Blistering trees

I walk to work each day and pass a row of strong, majestic eucalyptus trees. I have always enjoyed touching them, but even more so during this time of year. The trees are shedding their outer skin. The reddish brown bark blisters, buckles,peels, and falls to the ground. One might perceive the tree trunks to be very ugly during this stage, but I see underneath the peeling bark...a beautiful new layer of seafoam green skin.

The reason for this story: Well, the other day I got to thinking. Our lives can often be very much like these eucalyptus trees. At times in our lives all seems to be going well, smooth, and looks beautiful, but then God chooses refining to occur. These occurances often appear to be messy, or wasteful. They are rough and often a slow process. Yet in the end, we stand, changed. We have been made stronger, we have been made more into His likeness. We are becoming what He desires us to be, with seafoam green bark.