Many will come to know Christ in a way that is sudden, as if the messenger were coming for the very first time. Senses will be awakened. Awareness of the reality of God is likely to overwhelm even the formerly faithful who are now back in community with Christ’s church. This grace-laden process makes the scripture real. God’s righteous desires for the people of God will begin to take root with one refining act and cleansing moment after another.

Even when the beginning rush of the reality of Christ seems like more than we can receive, there is a sense of delight available to us. When we give up shaping ourselves, we become open to God’s resting with us and working through us. Yet how do we move forward from the euphoria of knowing and experiencing the initial benefits of God’s sanctifying grace? What does it take to go from that moment to a sustainable endurance of a long-term commitment to Christ? What disciplines will keep us on the path of righteousness? What reinforcement will remind us to stay in the hands of the Divine even when it is not comfortable?

The scripture gives us insight and hope. While we may not be able to define all of the ways that grace abounds in our day-to-day experience, we can trust that God is working, cleansing, refining, and purifying us. We can practice our faith and join in this work by means such as prayer and worship. It is not that we should attempt to be the cause of our own transformation, for that is the work of God. But through our intentional engagement, we make way for God to inspire and influence the next, best steps toward our purification.