Being cut down to size

That's how I feel lately: God is cutting me down to size, reminding me of just who I am before him. I feel like I imagine Ustace felt in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Aslan had to painfully cut and scrape through the rough dragon hide he'd grown in order to expose the real boy underneath. It hurt, and it was not any fun, but even as the pain was taking place, there was comfort that it had to happen, and it would be good in the end because while Aslan was not tame, he was very good.

The wonderful words to this song by Jason Gray, from his album All the Lovely Losers, express it quite well:

The Cut by Jason Gray

Under your blade
As you carve out Your image in me
You cut to the core
But still you want more
As you carefully, tenderly, ravage me.

As you peel back the bark
And tear me apart
To get to the heart
Of what matters most
I'm cold and I'm scared
As Your love lays me bare
But in the shaping of my soul
The cut makes me whole.

Mingling here
Your blood and my tears
As You whittle my kingdom away
But I see that You suffer, too
In making me new
For the blade of love cuts both ways.

Hidden inside the grain
Beneath the pride and the pain
Is the shape of the man
You meant me to be
Who with every cut now you try to set free.

With everyday
You strip more away
But in the shaping of my soul
The blade must take its toll
So God give me the strength to know
That the cut makes me whole.