by Helen Jesze 17th July 2026

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord.” 1 Corinthians 3:18
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it
produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained
by it.” Hebrews 12:11 NIV

Recently I came across part of a prophecy which I gave over someone, and feel led
to share it with you:

“For you have often said to the Lord and in your heart: Lord, make me more
like you, do a new thing in me, use me for your glory. And then it seemed as
though the opposite had happened. Suddenly it seemed as though you were
closed in, as if you were shut in and shut off from others. See a parable in the life
of a caterpillar, crawling along among the cabbages on the earth, unaware of the
blue sky above and the freedom to fly that the birds and butterflies have.

Then the time comes for it to go into a cocoon or chrysalis, where it stays
seemingly dormant and unmoving, yet something is taking place in there. The
old dead skin of the caterpillar begins to crack open, to peel and shed off, and a
new skin is develping – a new shape, the shape of the butterfly. My child, my
children, I have put you in a time of “chrysalis” where old dead things will begin
to drop off and the new is being formed.

The caterpillar does not know what is happening and you may not know what is
happening, but trust me that I am at work in you. This new shape, this new
creature will be a thing of beauty with colours and a beautiful design. You may
not feel me sometimes but I am always with you, and in you, and you in me. For
in me, you live and move and have your being.

When the butterfly begins to come out of its chrysalis, a hole appears and the
creature starts to struggle out. If you would try to help it, thinking it weak and
delicate, you would kill the creature. Likewise, with you, my child, there is a
time, a season for you to come out of your spiritual “chrysalis”. Do not try to
artificially bring this about, but wait for my timing, my season.

It is not only you I am preparing for the next phase of your life, your ministry,
but I am preparing others who will be with you, and to whom you will minister.
Also, I am engineering the circumstances, the situations, so that at the right
season you will fit in.

When you are going through this time, you may not feel spiritually, mentally
even physically, like lifting up your head. As I hung on the cross with the weight
of the sins of all the world upon me, I hung my head. As they put me in the tomb
and I went down into Hades – I knew separation from my Father God – my head
was down, for I was your Substitute. But on the third day, by the power of the
Holy Spirit I came to life again and walked out of the tomb – then my head was
held high…”

The rest of the prophecy was missing, so it only goes as far as this, but I want to
unpack this a little, as I believe here is a message for us. Have you ever asked the
Lord to make you more like Him, to use you for His glory, to do new things in your
life and then it seemed the opposite had happened? I have had those times, where I
could not see what God was doing in me. Everything seemed to be going downhill
instead of fresh new growth and exciting experiences in God!

It is Nature which causes the caterpillar to spin a chrysalis around itself and to
undergo such a transformation. It can do nothing on its own. But human-beings like
us, we have a free will and when we become Christians, God does not take it away
from us. We must choose the right way to go, whether we will obey the Word of God,
whether we will have a regular prayer-life – God does not force us. We are also free
to choose the wrong way, but we will suffer for it, yet in love, the Holy Spirit
constantly tries to bring us back onto the right path and into the Will of God for us.
If the caterpillar could see the transformation which would take place and that after
its time of ‘sleeping’ and preparation in the chrysalis, that a beautiful butterfly would
emerge, I’m sure it would be more than willing to go through this. But just as it
cannot see this, so our God does not show us what He wants to do with us and what
He wants to make out of us. He wants us to trust Him in this time when we are
seemingly in a spiritual ‘chrysalis’.

When we were born again, we became a “new creature” in Christ, yet in our Christian
walk, we are constantly being changed into the image of God’s dear Son, our
wonderful Saviour, Jesus. This often happens as we go through different experiences.
Sometimes He needs to discipline us and we don’t like this at all, but afterwards, we
bear precious fruit and come forth better than before.

The prophecy also speaks of the creature emerging from the chrysalis, and that it
would be catastrophic if we tried to help it. The creature would die, for the struggles
it goes through literally develop its strength, which it needs to survive and thrive.
Also, if we try to ‘artificially’ shorten our waiting time in the ‘chrysalis’, we would be
running ahead of God. I have done that sometimes, and not waited for His timing. I
have only brought forth an ‘Ishmael’, when if I had waited, I would have received my
‘Isaac’ – which was God’s Will for me.

Sometimes in our ‘waiting’ times we become confused, because we want to have
everything our way, and to understand it all. We may even become bitter, at God’s
dealings with us. Dear Friend, let me encourage you today, if God our Heavenly
Father gave His VERY BEST for us, His only begotten Son, how shall He not with
Him, freely give us all things?! He only wills the best for us, His children. He is
shaping us and bringing us from glory to glory! No longer need we hang our heads in
shame, confusion or isolate ourselves. He will cause us to lift up our head, for our
Redemption draws nigh!

So if you are in a ‘chrysalis’ time at the moment, just hang in there! Put everything
deliberately and consciously into His nail-pierced hands. From our broken pieces He
will make a mosaic; out of our mess He will make a message; out of our test He will
bring forth a testimony. If we wait in praise, faith and patience, we will see the
imprisoning circumstances drop away from us, in God’s timing. We will come forth a
beautiful person, with stronger spiritual muscles, ready to soar to new heights and
experiences in our God. He will lead us to places that we could never have dreamed
of as we grubbed along in the dirt like the caterpillar: God has beautiful splashes of
colour, perfume and flowers waiting for us – as we submit to His plan.

Don’t be content with cabbage-leaves!