Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis
By Odilon Redon

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18

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The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly is one of nature’s most astounding miracles. What starts out as a slow, blind, earth-bound insect becomes a radiant, airborne marvel capable of seeing in nearly infinite color. But even more extraordinary is how that change takes place. Trapped inside the cocoon, the caterpillar doesn’t just grow wings. Its caterpillar body completely dissolves into a protein-rich goop. From that, a pre-existing butterfly form – tiny rudimentary wings and legs and antennae that have been tucked deep inside the caterpillar from its very beginning – uses that nutrient mix to form a completely new creature.

So it is with us. The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians that, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” As disciples of Jesus, we are not merely called to improve—we are called to become new beings. The transformation Christ offers is not superficial. It is soul-deep. It is fitting, then, that the Greek word translated as “transform” in Paul’s epistle describing this change is ‘metamorphoo’ – metamorphosis. Losing one life to find an even greater one.

C.S. Lewis described this process, saying, “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self.” And Russell M. Nelson declared: “The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.” Just like the tiny butterfly wings inside a caterpillar, the divine potential to become more—more loving, more faithful, more whole—has been within us all along.

The world may try to tell you that you’re a caterpillar forever. That your past, your limitations, or your wounds define you. But in Christ, “all things are possible.” He sees your wings, even if you cannot yet feel them. You were designed to become a butterfly. So, when life places you in a season of stillness, loss, or confusion—your own cocoon—don’t despair. That is the holy space of becoming. You were not just made to crawl. You were meant to fly.

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