According to Paul's writings, the believers also progress in their growth in life from infancy to maturity, that is, to full growth (1 Cor. 3:1b; Col. 1:28b; Eph. 4:13b). Through our growth in life we the believers mature with Christ as the element of the divine life unto full growth.
We the believers also progress in our growth in life from dust to plants, and from plants to precious stones (1 Cor. 3:6a, 7a, 12a). Originally, man was made by God of the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7). In order for dust to become a plant, there is the need of some seed to be sown into the dust. Then the dust and the seed join together to grow, thus becoming a plant. Christ has been sown into us as the seed of life, and we are the dust, the earth, as the soil. As we cooperate with Christ to grow together with Him, a sprout comes out, and that sprout is the plant.
Then, according to 1 Corinthians 3, the believers as plants all need to be transformed from plants to minerals, that is, into precious stones, for the building up of the Body of Christ. Thus, first we need growth, and second, we need transformation. In the beginning of our Christian life our primary need is to grow. Our growth in life is very important. Eventually, our growth brings in transformation, a metabolic change in which God's divine life and nature spread throughout every part of our being, particularly our soul, bringing Christ with His riches into our being as our new element and causing our old, natural element to be gradually discharged. We need to grow from dust to plants, and we need to grow further and be transformed from plants into precious stones for the building of God.
In the writings of Paul the issue of the believers' growth in life is also richly revealed.
In our growth in the divine life we the believers grow into Christ, the Head, in all things (Eph. 4:15). For the sisters, combing their hair and clothing themselves may be two small problems in their daily life. If we ask some sisters to have morning revival for ten minutes, they may say that they do not have time; but they may have time to spend twenty minutes before the mirror to comb their hair. This means that these sisters may be growing into Christ in many things, but not in the combing of their hair. Shopping may be another area in the sisters' daily life in which they need to grow up into Christ. Many sisters read the newspaper not for the important items of the news but to locate the sales in the department stores. If the sisters can overcome in the matter of shopping, they will grow very much in Christ.