In the book The Velveteen Rabbit, a little stuffed bunny is given as a Christmas present to The Boy (as he’s called in the story).  During his time in the nursery, he is befriended by another toy, The Skin Horse.  The Skin Horse instructs the toy bunny about what all the toys of the nursery are really waiting for, and that is, becoming real.  When the Velveteen Rabbit asks the Skin Horse what this means, here is the reply:

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” …

The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad. He wished that he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him.

Welcome to the world of the Christ Follower, on a journey to know the transforming power of Love.