Jeremiah 13:23

We are what we are.

Let us be proud of what we are, and grateful, as it is a gift.

A leopard cannot change its spots – and so we should not try – for there is nothing wrong with us. We are OK.

And yet we find ourselves not perfect (in Love) as God is.

If we ‘attach’ ourselves to God, be with God, act with God, remember God, then by God’s grace we with our spots are sanctified.

Then if we separate ourselves from God, forget about God, act without God, we lose that sanctity and fall from grace –

… but our spots remain either way.

We and our spots can be made holy with God and can be unholy without God.

With God I act in grace, without God I act a fool. Those spots are always there.

It is not the spots we should try to change – we can’t, we are what we are and let us rejoice in this – but what we are can be sanctified.

So what can change? Being, remembering, acknowledging, accepting, thanking, attending, being open to God's Love for us, a gift, can change our hearts. This can turn hearts of stone to hearts of Love. We can and do so easily forget God, so we need to remind ourselves regularly, and reading scripture helps us do this.