Stains of Beauty

This morning I revealed stains. Stains of beauty. Ochre, cream, rust, russet, charcoal, wheat and earth. Okay, I know you might be thinking I have lost my mind if I find stains even remotely pleasing to the eye. Really, what is hidden beneath the Onyx is unique and stunning. Let me explain.
I soaked three gourds in bleach water. The process to clean a gourd is a bit toxic to your health if you are not careful not just because you are using bleach, but because you are clearing away mold. So you must wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth and glasses to shield your face. Not to mention that mold is disgusting, YUCK!
After a bit of soaking, a wire scrubber along with some elbow grease is needed to rid the gourd of the mold. If a gourd is to be used as a decoration, bird house, vase, bowl, or art, then at least for one's well-being it must be washed free from mold.
I like to think that this is what God is doing every time He chooses to not let me stay how I am, covered in mold: bad habits, unkindness, impatience, anger, selfishness, self-loathing, etc. You see, if He is going to use us for something, some specific purpose, then He needs to prepare us. The old self cannot remain. Or the mold like loads of laundry will pile up and crowd what is underneath.
He will purge it out of us so that the outside shines brightly. Much like removing dust from a light so it reveals more light.
Don't we want to reveal more light? How? By letting the Lord love us, change us into what comes out of the scrubbing. Which I don't particularly love because it hurts a bit.
What is even more amazing is that yes, some stains of where we came from and what we have gone through to get to this new form remain, but they are not moldy as before. God restores the elegance that already existed when we were created. What remains is the Lord's artwork.