I captured this image because I really like how it shows that something we generally consider ugly and unwanted, in this case a blackberry bush can be transformed into something beautiful. The frost transforms the leaves and reveals their intricate and beautiful structure. When I study the individual leaves and then their overall pattern I am amazed at how gorgeous God has crafted a bush which I work so hard to eradicate from my yard. Just in case your wondering I didn't shoot this one in my backyard but don't worry, I am still locked into a multiyear backyard battle.

Why I find this important is that we often miss how God illustrates biblical principles (his written word) through creation (his spoken word). He does this so that we can continue to learn and to see how these principles work in the world we inhabit. He also doesn't want us to get lured into thinking we need to have lived 2000 years ago in Palestine to understand the connection between Creator and creation. The frost transforming the blackberry into something beautiful reminds us that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

While the frost will disappear from the blackberry the scripture tells us that the transformation we have in Christ is new and permanent because the "old has gone". I am convinced that too many of us spend too much time thinking about how we were or somehow think we will be like the blackberry and go back to the way we were. By only speaking about the old is the past tense saying and emphasizing the "new creation" God makes it very clear that our new creation in Christ is permanent. Our new creation in Christ is beautiful, wonderful and fashioned by God in Christ. This is who we really are and while it is tempting to think of the old let us mediate on the beautiful and eternal new creation that we are using our energy to live from truth and not lies.