A caterpillar is scientifically referred to as a larva. It has 12 legs; its hairy, brown, black body crawls along the ground, stuffing itself with leaves and growing bigger and longer. It molts out of its body several times. Finally, it can no longer eat any more and stops, hangs itself upside down on a branch, and spins itself into a cocoon. This cocoon is waterproof, sun-proof, and unsinkable.
Inside the cocoon the caterpillar digests itself, creating a protein-rich soup of ooze that will transform into six legs, eyes, antennae, genitals, and wings that have a million beautifully colored scales per square inch—enabling it to fly. The butterfly’s tongue changes, and it now feeds on sweet nectar.
Consider the mystery of a hairy larva: crawling on the ground, stuffing itself on leaves, and then being transformed into a beautiful butterfly that can fly and feed on nectar.
Romans 12:2 “Let God transform you into a new person.”