It’s easy to wonder sometimes if a profession of faith made at a young age was the real deal. Maybe we have a prodigal child who has gone astray, or perhaps it’s our own life that has become a mess.

“God, I can’t see you anymore!” we cry, as we look at the darkness that seems to have taken over and replaced the light that was once there. We wonder where we went wrong, and we question whether we should hold out hope anymore for a life change. The layers and layers of mistakes seem too many to recover from.

The answer to my questions were answered in an art class, as I learned about a process called gel printing. In it, an initial layer of paint is laid down in a pattern on a gelatin printing plate. Once that layer is dry, additional layers of colors can be added on top of it. The original pattern cannot be seen. Yet when the final layer of paint is applied and a piece of paper is laid on top of it and then pulled up, the very first layer is revealed once again on top of all the colors that once obscured it.

I realized that God works in our lives like gel printing. When we are born again, we are sealed with God’s mark of salvation. Then as we continue on in our lives, we begin accumulating layers of life experience. Sometimes those layers are transparent, allowing God’s light to shine through. Others may be dark or opaque, hiding our true nature as children of God.

We can have hope in knowing that no matter how much has come after our salvation, we are still sealed by God’s grace in Christ Jesus. It is still there, underneath everything else. And when – in His time – God makes His mark visible again, it will seem even more beautiful sitting on top of the unique layers of our lives.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” – Ephesians 1:13