Grace shapes us...

Grace is not a technique. It is not a magical quality that God dispenses like a candy machine, or the power for self-actualization or personal peace and affluence. It is not a lubricant to get the parts inside working properly. And it is not a three-step program for self-improvement. When we treat grace that way, we surrender to the spirit of our age by fashioning ourselves and our bodies through our own efforts. We don’t use grace to shape ourselves—it shapes us into the image of the one who gives it. - Matthew Anderson "Earthen Vessels" (emphasis mine)