INNER BEAUTY

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful" (1 Peter 3:3–5).

I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this verse. When it comes to beauty I love that the Word of God clearly states that inner beauty is what matters most. This is the opposite message than the one offered by the world, and I find great comfort in it. I am so glad that God isn't looking at my hair, my skin, or my jean size when He's searching for my beauty. 

And I dig Peter's assertion that our beauty doesn't come from outward adornment. I don't think he's saying we shouldn't fix our hair, wear nice clothes, or indulge our affection for chunky jewelry. He's simply pointing out that those things aren't the true source of our beauty and worth. 

It's the gentle and quiet spirit business that trips me up. The Bible says that a gentle and quiet spirit is the source of unfading beauty. What's more it is of great worth in God's sight (v. 4). You don't have to tell me any more. I want it! I want the kind of beauty that lasts and I certainly want the kind of beauty that God treasures, but I'm not always sure what that looks like. 

So I figured I'd ask you. What does inner beauty look like exactly? How can we tell if we have a gentle and quiet spirit? We know that inner beauty matters far more to God than outer beauty, but how can we make our insides beautiful? What are you doing to ensure that you are cultivating the kind of beauty that is of great worth in God's sight?