The Crucible of Becoming
Forty-days on the road from resurrection to purpose.
A devotional study of the time between resurrection and ascension in the Bible.
When the stone rolled away and the tomb stood empty, the world changed. In the earliest hours of that first Easter morning, sorrow and confusion gripped the hearts of those who had loved Jesus. His resurrection was real, but the meaning of it was not yet fully clear. What now? What would life look like after death had been defeated but before heaven had fully come?
The story of Easter is not only about the triumph of one morning. It is also the story of forty days — a holy stretch of time in which the risen Christ moved among His followers, preparing them for the life they would soon be called to live. And just as it was for them, so it is for us: the new life we receive in Christ often leads into a season of tempering transformation, when faith is stretched, character is refined, and God prepares us for a calling we have not yet fully seen.
Entering the crucible of becoming
The Bible tells us that Jesus, after His suffering, presented Himself alive to His disciples “by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, NRSV). Those forty days were not incidental. They were deliberate. Calvin reflects on the concept: "We are not to suppose that the moment we are called by God, we are immediately fit for the discharge of our office; but having been called, we must undergo a period of training, that we may be fitted for it." It was a period of shaping and sanctification.
Throughout Scripture, the number forty marks times of testing, transformation, and preparation. Noah endured forty days of rain before stepping into a renewed earth. Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai receiving the law that would guide Israel. Jesus Himself fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry.
Each of these Quadragesima periods of time opened a doorway into something new. And now, in the aftermath of the cross, another doorway was opening.
Refined by encounters with the risen Christ
The Gospels record several encounters between Jesus and His followers during this time. Early on, He met Mary Magdalene at the tomb, calling her by name and transforming her sorrow into witness (John 20:11–18). He walked alongside two travelers on the road to Emmaus, opening the Scriptures and breaking bread with them, revealing Himself when they were least expecting it (Luke 24:13–35). Behind locked doors, He breathed peace over His disciples’ fear and spoke words of commissioning, preparing them to carry His teaching into a world still waiting to hear (John 20:19–23).
For Thomas, who doubted, Jesus came again and invited him to touch His wounds, turning skepticism into worship (John 20:24–29). By the Sea of Galilee, He called the weary fishermen back to Himself, providing breakfast on the shore and restoring Peter’s heartbroken soul (John 21:1–19). Paul would later tell how Jesus appeared to over five hundred believers at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). He even sought out James, His brother, who had doubted but would become a leader of the early church (1 Corinthians 15:7).
These appearances were not mere proofs of life. They were acts of love. Jesus was preparing His people — not only to believe in His resurrection, but to live in its power and build His kingdom on earth.
Living through the crucible seasons
In our own lives, resurrection moments often lead to "Quadragesima" seasons. We encounter the grace of God in a fresh way — a breakthrough, a new beginning — but the life that follows requires patience, trust, and transformation. It is one thing to be saved by grace; it is another to be shaped by it. Sanctification is the lifelong journey of learning to walk in the power of the resurrection.
Like the first disciples, we sometimes feel caught between the promise and the fulfillment. We know the tomb is empty. We have seen glimpses of glory. But the path ahead can still seem unclear. Doubts resurface. Old habits tug at us. Fear tries to lock the doors of our hearts. Yet in all these things, Jesus meets us — speaking peace, offering His wounds as proof of His love, and calling us onward.
The forty days between Easter and Ascension remind us that change does not always happen in an epic event. Often, it unfolds in quiet, personal encounters with the living Christ. He teaches us, forgives us, calls us, and prepares us. He invites us to walk in the in-between spaces with hope.
Your personal crucible of becoming
God still uses "forty-day" seasons in the lives of His people — not always measured by days, but by purpose. These are the in-between times when God is doing a hidden work in us: shaping our character, refining our faith, and preparing us for our unique calling.
You might be in such a season right now. It could be a period of waiting for clarity in a career decision, a season of healing after a loss, or a time of deep inner transformation where old patterns are stripped away and new habits of faith take root. These stretches of sanctification can feel slow, even confusing. The excitement of resurrection may seem far behind, and the fulfillment of promise not yet fully in view.
But make no mistake — just as Jesus was active in the lives of His followers during His forty days, He is active in yours. He walks beside you even when you don't immediately recognize Him, just as He walked with the travelers to Emmaus. He speaks peace into your fears, as He did with the disciples in the locked room. He offers restoration, as He did for Peter by the Sea of Galilee.
If you find yourself struggling between what was and what will be, take heart. God is not absent. He is preparing you for something greater than you can yet imagine. Your forty days are not lost time. They are sacred.
Emerging from the crucible with purpose
At the end of those forty days, Jesus led His disciples to a hillside near Bethany. He lifted His hands, blessed them, and ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50–53). They stood gazing upward until two angels appeared and reminded them that He would return in the same way (Acts 1:10–11). But now, their mission was clear: "You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
They returned to Jerusalem not with despair, but "with great joy" (Luke 24:52). The days of preparation had equipped them for the days of proclamation. Johnathan Edwards once said, "Grace is but glory begun, and glory is but grace perfected." And by the power of the Holy Spirit, through their proclamations they changed the world forever. It was glorious indeed.
And so it is for us. Every season of waiting, wrestling, and growing is a gift. Every forty-day journey — whether literal or symbolic — is a chance to meet the risen Christ in deeper ways, to be prepared for a purpose beyond what we can now see.
The crucible and the crown
The resurrection of Jesus was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of a new creation, and the forty days that followed were the first steps into that new life. If you find yourself today in a season of waiting or change, take heart. The jewels on your crown in heaven are earned in the crucible of life on earth today. The risen Christ is walking with you. He is preparing you for a mission, shaping you for joy, and reminding you that the best is yet to come.
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As stated in the article, “when faith is stretched, character is refined, and God prepares us for a calling we have not yet fully seen.”,
We walk through many trials and tribulations that only refine our faith and daily growing into the character of Christ.
Very good! “Every season of waiting, wrestling and growing is a gift.” So true!! Our son and daughter in law just had their fourth child…they are devout and faithful…but definitely in the crucible right now! My wife and I are leaning in to support!