Paul admonishes us to go on to perfection, and we must strive to align ourselves with God's stance on this matter. Perfection entails completeness, ripeness, and the fullness of the stature of Christ, embodying traits such as being without spot or blemish, sound, undefiled, whole, mature, and ripe. These qualities describe Christ's character, who exemplifies them all. Paul urges diligence in becoming perfect and complete, comparing the journey from childhood to adulthood, where endurance marks approaching maturity. This process is not passive waiting but involves suffering, as Peter warns, for even Christ learned perfection through the things He suffered. We cannot expect to escape such trials in our pursuit of perfection. Perfection is also linked to human relationships, as Christ urges us to be as perfect as our Father in heaven, tying the process to how we treat each other. The Kingdom of God is about eternal, peaceful relationships, and we cannot develop necessary skills by withdrawing from others. God never leaves us, continuously working to help us build relationships with Him, as He is the One who works perfection in us. Even as we approach spiritual maturity, we may face jealousy and opposition, much like Job, who was deemed perfect by God yet suffered bitterness from friends and family at perceived imperfections. Christ, the paragon of perfection, was despised more than any man. The fruits of perfection include peace, soundness, patience, faith, and good works, alongside controlling our tongue and casting out fear through perfect love. Perfection, in the context of everyday life, means maturity and completeness, though we cannot fully complete the process until our human nature is transformed. Only then can we reach the goals of being perfect as our Father in heaven, having the mind of Christ, bringing every thought into captivity, and never uttering a wrong word. Paul himself admits to not being fully there, yet he maintains a perfect attitude, ready and seeking after the prize of the high calling of Christ. There are promises for those who pursue perfection, including an eternal inheritance in the land, never to be cast out.

As human beings, we often consider ourselves mature, unable to imagine being anything less. Yet, God has not left the definition of maturity to us. The standard is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Our Savior set the example of spiritual maturity, never sinning even once. Though our goal is spiritual maturity or completion, the standard by which we gauge our progress is absolute perfection. While it may be impossible to live a sinless life now, we can strive to be blameless or perfect, like Abraham. We may not reach absolute spiritual maturity until our change comes, but that remains the ultimate goal. In the spirit-inhabited Kingdom of God, our every thought will be under control. Until then, the best way to reveal any remaining immaturity is by comparing ourselves against the absolute perfection of Christ. Should we strive for perfection? Rephrased, should we strive for spiritual maturity or try to be complete Christians? The answer is clear. By making the effort to grow and working to become complete, we are carrying out our responsibility. We must overcome and grow, striving for excellence in all we do, working with our might to become the complete, mature, perfect Christian. A life of overcoming and growth is not easy, and because of that, at Christ's return, mere participation will not suffice. Our reward will be Eternal Life. Even though we will make mistakes and commit sins along the way, we can still become perfect. As unfinished puzzles, God, as the Master Puzzle Builder, is working to fill in our empty spots. As we build character and endure trials, more pieces are added. True, godly love binds all the virtues together in perfection, holding the pieces of our puzzle in place. Thus, we indeed can, and must, become perfect.

God expects growth from all of us, as shown in the way we come into our inheritance, the Kingdom of God, little by little, conquering our enemies with His help. Christ compared His Father's Kingdom to a mustard seed, smaller than all seeds on earth, yet it grows to become greater than all herbs. God has given us a great potential that is too big for us now, beyond our current imagination or ability to handle. Yet, if we patiently grow, in time the Kingdom will come to fit us perfectly, and we will feel at home there.