“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6
Colorado is home to 58 named mountain peaks that rise above 14,000 feet, commonly referred to as “fourteeners“. Our family has climbed several during our time in the state. As you ascend each peak, the summit always looks closer than it really is. You reach that elevation only to discover it’s just a plateau—and the true summit still lies ahead. Climbing a Fourteener is like God’s transformation process.
Most men love the promise of Philippians 1:6 but misunderstand the path attached to it. We celebrate that God finishes what He starts, yet what often goes unsaid is how unfinished the process feels while we are inside it. Formation rarely feels comfortable, complete. It feels slow, uneven, and at times uncertain.
God does not form men by bypassing weakness but by working through it. He exposes the character we need shaping. He stretches us where we’ve grown rigid. He removes what’s slowing our transformation.
God’s commitment to finish the work does not mean the process feels complete along the way. Much of His work happens beneath the surface, within our hearts, and is often misunderstood. This process is where trust is formed.
application
Believing God will finish His work requires patience, perseverance, trust, and time. It is easier to trust Him at the beginning, when calling feels clear, and enthusiasm runs high. It is harder to trust Him in the long middle, where progress feels delayed, and formation feels slow and costly.
On the trail, doubt can begin to whisper. Men focus on their shortcomings. Their struggles. Their slow growth. They quietly wonder is God really at work in my life? What often goes unspoken is how frequently men mistake unfinished work for God walking away from it.
God does not rush formation. He builds depth before visibility, endurance before influence, character before responsibility. The work feels slow because it is thorough. He is preparing a man to carry what he once prayed for but was not yet ready to steward.
Philippians 1:6 anchors perseverance in God’s faithfulness, not a man’s consistency. The promise is not that you will finish yourself, but that God will remain committed to completing what He starts.
Live it out
Is there one area you feel God’s work is unfinished, or are you discouraged in your growth? Place that area back into God’s hands with trust. Keep walking faithfully where He has you today. The trail of transformation is longer than expected, but it is not abandoned. God remains committed to completing what He began in you. Stay steady. The work He started will be finished in His time, through His shaping, as you continue responding to His leading one faithful step at a time.
pray this…
“Father, give me the patience and understanding to know You are still at work within me and it will be completed in Your time, not mine.”
Photo by Tom Jur on Unsplash
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Information lays the foundation—
Practice builds the man.
