Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. 1 Peter 5:10 HCSB
When my son, Jonathan, was sixteen years old he wanted an old Mustang to restore. We diligently searched and finally found a 1966 Mustang that we could afford. It needed some work but we knew we could work on it together. Not knowing if we were going to purchase it, I was able to surprise Jonathan when he got out of school one day. He was so proud of it, even though it needed a lot of work. We restored the inside with new seats, carpet, dashboard, door panels, etc. The outside had some rust spots that needed repair and the body needed to be painted professionally. We located an auto body shop that would restore this portion for the price we could afford. They stripped the paint off all the way back to the metal, fixed the rust spots, and then repainted it a bright red. It took nine months, but it was well worth the wait. The transformation was amazing! The new chrome and paint made the Mustang look brand new. I remember picking it up and taking it to Jonathan at college. Again, he was so excited. We still have the Mustang today and enjoy taking it to car shows.
Peter reminds us that God is in the transformation and restoration business. God will restore, establish, strengthen, and support all of us. He takes a sinner that is scarred and beaten up by the sins of the world and transforms and restores him to a right relationship with Himself. Peter was trying to encourage Christians that were being persecuted by reminding them that even though they may suffer as a result of persecution, God would restore and strengthen them in troublesome times.
Challenge: Allow God to transform and restore you. It may take a while, but remember that God is making you into the person He wants you to be. God is not finished with you yet. Be patient. Thank God for loving you and transforming you into a finished product that is beautiful.