The Restoration of a Lifetime

My husband spent five years restoring a classic car he had loved since childhood—a 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo. When he bought the car from a friend in 2014, it was in extremely rough shape. It had been through a flood, sat outside in the Texas heat for years, and was badly oxidized. Even though he paid very little for it initially, most would have looked at the car and told him he was wasting his money. It didn’t look redeemable in the condition it was in. 

However, he saw great value in the car—not for what it was, but for what it would become.

He located a classic vehicle restorer and shipped the car to him to begin the process, initially being told it would take around 18 months. An agonizing five years later, in 2019, he finally received the vehicle back, in its fully restored glory. Visually, the vehicle is stunning—magnificently transformed and given new life. However, there were some hidden internal issues—not visible from the outside—that still needed some work. Since the day my husband received it back, an enormous amount of additional unexpected mechanical work has been required. The investment into the entire restoration process at this point is more than twice what he was originally told to expect.

As we have discussed the additional costs of the repairs, one thing we have never wavered on is the inherent value of the car. Once you’ve invested so much into restoring something, the investment itself becomes part of its worth. What it costs and the time it takes for the work to be accomplished become an integral part of its story—adding to its value. It becomes something you treasure—not something you give up on.

That car is such a visual reminder to me of God’s extravagant love for us. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God sought us at our worst—enemies of the cross—sinful, wicked, and broken. Yet, in spite of our condition, He saw great value in us—not for what we were, but for what we would become through Christ. And He began a restoration process that would take not just five years, but a literal lifetime.

We often want restoration and transformation to take place quickly. We grow so weary of sin, both our own and especially that of others. But, we were never given an earthly timeframe for sanctification to be made complete—we are just promised that it will be “at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Until that time, we are perpetually a work in progress. A treasured work of inherent value—having been bought by the blood of Christ. It is His sacrificial investment in us that gives us our worth. So, let us be women committed to extending grace to ourselves, and especially to others, as God accomplishes our sanctification on His timeline. And may our unfolding stories forever point to the One who is restoring us to our full glory—made complete only “at the day of Jesus Christ.”