All of us have a few rough edges, don’t we?

We may be a bit bristly with people; we may have a short fuse; or we may have a puffed-up ego.

The problem is that no one likes having their rough edges smoothed out.

In the Bible, this process is called sanctification. It’s the way by which God makes a believer more like Jesus. It involves progressive spiritual growth and holiness.

And it’s not always easy or comfortable.

Sanctification to me is rather like sanding down a beat-up antique before refinishing it.

Let’s say you have a vintage table whose top is very marred. At first, you need very coarse, rough sandpaper such as 60-grit to get rid of the gouges and dents in the wood.

Then you continue sanding but use increasingly finer sandpaper: 80-, 120-, and 180-grit (the paper gets less coarse as the numbers get higher).

You’ll eventually reach 400-grit or even much higher, where you can get the surface of the table very smooth indeed, almost mirror-smooth. You’re now ready to apply the stain and finish.

Similarly, as we progress in our Christian life, God might initially need to use some “rough sandpaper” on us to smooth out the worst of our flaws.

As we mature in the Lord, we should need less and less correcting. God can use finer sandpaper on us, as it were, because we have fewer outstanding rough spots.

As I write this, I’m looking at an antique table that I refinished a few years ago. It was in rough shape when I got it, but now its surface is so smooth that it reflects what’s put on top of it.

I think God’s end game in sanctifying believers is the same: to create a mirror finish on us.

And what does He want us to reflect?

The image of His Son!

At times I think that God is still having to use 80-grit sandpaper on me, but I’m banking on the following verse:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

© 2025 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.