Beauty in the Stone

By Dan Montgomery
Thomas Nelson, $18.99

ISBN 0785277455

LAWS of Transformation

Review by Elizabeth Davey

At last, a surefire way to change your spouse, fix the kids, and improve your boss. In fact, it's guaranteed to make nearly everyone you know shape up. The secret? Come closer and drink in the wisdom of Beauty in the Stone. Be prepared, though. You will find nary a word about changing others. Instead, you'll undertake a life-changing adventure with the Master Sculptor to transform your personality and character into a beautiful work of art.

Author Dr. Dan Montgomery, a licensed clinical psychologist, poses the question, "Is there such a thing as God's psychology?" Yes, he answers, and we have only to look at Jesus to see the perfect model of a whole person. The strength of Jesus' personality came from a perfect blend of what Montgomery calls the LAWS of God's psychology-Love, Assertion, Weakness, and Strength.

In Beauty in the Stone, Montgomery plots these LAWS as four points on our self-compass. Trouble arises when our sinful nature spins that compass right into the Bermuda Triangle. The results are patterns that block us from our true potential in Christ.

Fortunately, we aren't left drifting with painful self-knowledge. Gradually as we yield ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, our negative patterns are redeemed and tahe beauty in the stone emerges.

Can we become perfectly sculpted? Listen to Jesus. "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness" (John 10:10 TLB). Follow God's grand adventure for your life. There're no LAWS against it!

Elizabeth Davey is a freelance writer and director of Pro-Life Partnership in Tampa Bay, FL.

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