Psalm 114 - praying mantis

I found a cocoon as a kid and I was so excited to watch it hatch into a butterfly. I put it in a baggie and hung it over the register in my room. I checked it constantly waiting for the big moment. One day it finally happened, I checked the bag but to my horror it seemed to be filled with spiders. I called in my dad who realized that they were actually praying mantises. He was excited because his peach tree was under attack by harmful insects and he said that praying mantis were very helpful to use as a natural defense. He gently scattered them at the base of his peach tree and I like to think that my little mantises served their purpose and saved the tree. What struck me about Psalm 114 was how God's power is over all things but He also has the transforming power to take one thing into another. He turned a rock into a pool, into springs of water. I expected a cocoon to turn into a butterfly, but there was a different transformation occurring, a different purpose that needed fulfilled. I think we give up on God and ourselves so easily when we don't transform into butterflies and fail to see the purpose in being transformed into a praying mantis. God can take the hard things in your life and turn them into good, life giving things. He can transform the rough spots of your character into a refreshing source of life for yourself and others. Won't you come into His presence today and experience the sanctification process He has planned for you.