1 Peter 3:3-4 Precious In His Sight - Devotional Scripture

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.   1 Peter 3:3-4

Real beauty comes from the hidden person of the heart. It isn't something you wear or fuss over. It is something you are. The inner beauty of a godly woman is incorruptible.  It doesn’t decay or get worse with age.  Instead, it only gets better with age. These holy women made themselves beautiful by trusting in God and as a result they developed an inner beauty of a gentle and quiet sprit. Peter wasn’t forbidding outward adornment.  Instead he was warning us to keep things in perspective and remember that which is seen is temporal (2 Cor 4:18).  Peter is saying that if we don’t have a gentle and quiet spirit no amount of jewelry, cosmetics or fine clothing will give us inner beauty.

A gentle and quiet spirit does not describe a woman who is timid and shy. This is no weak woman but a very strong and capable woman. This is a woman that faces opportunities to react in anger or get upset but she has chosen to be controlled, forgiving and gentle.

The word quiet in this text means a woman that knows how to calm herself and maintain a state of peace and tranquility. Rather than speak up and utter words that are later regretted, this woman stays quiet and refrains from angry responses. She deliberately decides to not be a contributor to conflicts but to be a peace maker instead.  This is a woman that keeps a lid on her emotions and is a stable and tranquil force in every situation.  God sees this type of woman as rare and very precious in His sight.  He loves when we put aside our own anger or emotions and instead help peace to rule in the situation.  God thinks very highly of such a woman.