For those who are in Christ, the promise of new life is both thrilling and grounding. We’re assured that someday, we’ll be clothed in the incorruptible, freed from the flaws and struggles of our current selves. Yet until that day comes, we live in a tension—the “goo” phase of transformation. It’s that uncomfortable place between the person we used to be and the complete, incorruptible person God has promised to make us.

The “goo” is where we confront our old nature, the patterns and instincts we wish would fall away immediately. We’re not yet the new creation in full; we’re still being transformed, still learning to live by the Spirit instead of the flesh. Paul wrote, “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19). If creation itself is waiting, yearning for the final unveiling, it makes sense that we, too, experience this inner tension, longing to live fully as the people God intends us to be.

The Discomfort of the In-Between

In the “goo” phase, our old self—the “old man” as Paul describes in Romans—still tries to pull us back, often when we least expect it. We may experience moments of genuine transformation, glimpses of who we’re meant to be, but then find ourselves stumbling into old habits or struggles. This push and pull can be disheartening, leaving us feeling like we’re somehow stuck.

In Galatians 5:17, Paul writes, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Here lies the heart of the “goo”: the Spirit is at work in us, growing and transforming us, yet we also carry the remnants of our old nature. This tension can make us feel like we’re somehow failing, but the truth is, it’s a natural part of the transformation process.

Trusting in What We Cannot Yet See

When a caterpillar dissolves into goo, the change that’s taking place is invisible. No one can see what’s happening inside the cocoon, just as it’s often hard for us to see what God is doing in us. And yet, our transformation is underway. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul encourages us, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day… So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

This passage invites us to look beyond the discomfort of the present and to put our faith in the promise of what God is forming within us. Living in the “goo” requires patience, endurance, and above all, trust in God’s timing. It’s here that we learn to rely on Him, not on our ability to transform ourselves. The work He is doing in us, though unseen, is real and purposeful, a foretaste of the incorruptible future He has promised.

Holding on to Hope in the Waiting

In this in-between space, it’s easy to become weary, to feel that transformation is always just beyond our reach. Yet our hope rests not in our own progress but in Christ’s victory over sin and death. It is He who will ultimately clothe us in the incorruptible. Paul captures this hope in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54: “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality… then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”

We are invited to hold onto this promise, even when we feel far from it. Living in the “goo” means we’re in a season of preparation, of allowing God to dismantle and reshape us, trusting that every part of the process is making us more like Him. It’s hard, yes, but it’s also holy. The “goo” is where God shapes us for eternity, teaching us to wait on Him, to lean into His strength, and to find peace in His presence.

Becoming Whole in the Midst of Tension

Living in the tension between the old and the new, the corruptible and the incorruptible, is part of the journey of every believer. God calls us to press forward, trusting that the work He began in us will be brought to completion (Philippians 1:6). When we feel the weight of our imperfection, we can look to Jesus, who entered into human weakness, who bore the messiness of our human condition, and who emerged victorious, incorruptible.

In the midst of this “goo” phase, we are still loved, still whole in God’s eyes. And someday, the cocoon will break open, and we will rise, not in our own strength, but in His, fully and gloriously transformed.

Pastor Jacob Biswell