v 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
How incredibly difficult it is to describe the kind of beauty that the glossy magazines promote. It may be the gorgeous clothing (or lack of it!), the shiny, tossed-back hair, the ornamental jewellery, or in a handsome man the bulging biceps and powerful leg muscles. Everything a photograph shows can only be superficial – and most definitions of beauty focus on just those things. Whether it is a painting or a person, a garden or a sunset, beauty is something that pleases the eye, and perhaps touches a feeling deeper inside our being.
God appreciates something different – and it lies within a person’s character. No photograph can show it, and it will never be highlighted in a beauty parade. The paparazzi certainly won’t be chasing after it. In fact it is invisible to all but the most discerning eyes. I think Peter’s description of it is spot-on.
It is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. And don’t run away with the idea that this only refers to female qualities! I suspect many of you will have noted it in both women and men – it is attractive, reliable and immensely pleasing. It speaks of a character that honours God and is pleasing in the market place of everyday life. You might notice as much in a nurse as in a plumber, or in the young women who services your car and the man who washes your backside in hospital. It crosses age and gender boundaries, ethnic and social backgrounds.
Every time you encounter it, thank God for it. Such a person is part of God’s beautiful creation.
Then ask yourself – does that describe me?
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