Queen Victoria stopped one day
at a paper mill near Windsor Castle, and was shown through
it by the foreman. He did not know who she was,
as she was alone and was plainly dressed. The Queen was intensely
interested in every process of the paper-maker's art. She was
conducted at last to a place where a number of rag-pickers
were emptying out the dirty rags, which they had gathered from
the gutters and alleys of the great city. There was a large
pile of these filthy, blackened rags, which looked as if they
never could be made clean. The Queen asked the foreman what
he would do with these. To her amazement, he told her
that he would make them into the finest, whitest paper. When
the Queen had gone, the foreman learned who she was. Some days
after, there was received at the palace a package of the purest,
most delicate paper, having the Queen's likeness stamped upon
it, with a note from the foreman of the mill telling her that
this paper was made from the very rags she had seen on her
visit. In the same way, the Holy Spirit
takes human lives, ruined and blackened by sin, makes them
whiter than snow, and stamps upon them the holy image of Jesus. No life is hopeless in its ruin,
which the transforming grace of God renews. God can take the
most sin-soiled soul and give to it radiant beauty. Do you
not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual
offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers,
nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what
some of you were. but you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6, verses
9-11.