Many Christian circles desire a renewal of the church and spiritual life, often with the notion that this can be achieved painlessly. They think that for God, it would be a small matter to bring about the desired healings, deliverances, and changes. However, we repeatedly find in the Bible that God often leads people through inexplicable and difficult paths so that they can shed their false identities (masks and roles, patterns and influences). The Holy Spirit wants to lead us into the depths of our being to reveal the truth about ourselves and also about Christ. In the dissolution of our old nature and the unfolding of a new creation, we experience something of the elixir of transformation. This is offered to us by God like a strengthening drink in the midst of suffering and helps us to experience and endure such a fundamental change.