Brokenness,

The refinishing of antique furniture is an awesome process. Strong chemicals strip away the old varnish. Then sandpaper machines sand it down, exposing all the crooks, nooks, and crannies that need repair. The sanding continues until the surface is even. Then it is varnished, over and over until it has a smooth, refinished surface. It is varnished until it gets back the glory of its originally intended look.

God will strip you down. He will sand and sand. He sands until He exposes every scratch, every nook, and every cranny. This is the part that hurts the worst. This is the part where most believers will cry out to the Lord in pain. This is the part when we must trust that His grace is sufficient. God follows the sanding process with the varnish. This is the point at which the life of Christ shines through in the life of the Christian. Your identity in Christ begins to reveal itself, and you’ll find power you’ve never had because you’ve been broken.

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 Tony Evans,  Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking