"As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you."

1 Peter 1:24-25
(New Living Translation)

In my mind, I'm still 21. Mind you, when I look in the mirror, my mind gets quite a shock. My reflection looks nothing like my brain thinks it should look. I should still have that youthful figure, no gray hair and my complexion should be flawless, without the aid of cosmetics. But as I gaze there in the mirror, I am reminded that flowers do fade and so do the youthful petals that we once saw looking back at us.

While outward beauty fades, we can trust in God's unchanging word. When things around us fade with age, God's word is timeless and will last forever. Even the pages upon which Scripture is written will crumble and rot with age, but the word (the truth) contained upon those pages is timeless. Peter reminds his gentle readers that the word he's talking about is the Good News about Jesus Christ that was preached to the early Christians and is still being preached almost 2000 years later.

When it comes to inward beauty, trust the beauty secret that lasts forever - trust the Lord Jesus Christ to be your inward beauty consultant.

Rev. Jan McCoy is the associate pastor of Covington First United Methodist Church in downtown Covington. She may be reached at jan.mccoy@ngumc.net.