In nature, we see metamorphosis in some biological processes by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching. Some insects, fishes, amphibians and molluscs undergo metamorphosis, usually accompanied by a change of habitat or behaviour. The most well known is probably the butterfly.
The butterfly looks nothing like the eggs or caterpillar; transformation in this realm means a radically different form. In the same way, the spiritual work God is doing in our lives may not necessarily make us look different to other people (after all, people could not cope with Jesus being both God and man and frequently asked things like ‘“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?’ (Matt 13:55)), but does involve radical change, since we actually carry the treasure of God’s life in ‘jars of clay’ (2 Cor 4:7), and our final spiritual body will look nothing like the earthly body we now inhabit (see 1 Cor 15:51-57). Paul reminds us that ‘our citizenship is in heaven’ (Phil 3:20) and it is God’s power which ‘will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.’ (Phil 3:21) Our life on earth is simply one stage of this transformation process. We’re not at the butterfly or frog stage yet!
Transformation comes as our minds are renewed (Rom 12:1-2). This involves action on our part (a refusal to conform to the world’s pattern or way of doing things) and action on God’s part. The Message version paraphrases Rom 12:1-2 in this way: ‘Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.’ When talking about Abraham’s grasp of faith, it says ‘Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.”’ (Rom 4:3) Embracing what God does for us is definitely the best thing we can do, and part of that is accepting that He is the One working transformation in us… a transformation which is still ongoing, a transformation which God Himself will perfect and complete.