The Destiny of Excellence

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" (Proverbs 31:10 KJV).

The word for "virtuous" is also translated "excellent." The Amplified version calls this woman "capable" and "intelligent." The price of an excellent, capable, and intelligent woman like the one described in verses 10-31 is far above rubies.

Excellence is a process. As a person matures and develops according to the will of God, she--or he--strives for excellence. This supreme call of the Proverbs 31 woman is not a burden of perfectionism. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines "excellent" as "Being of great virtue or worth; eminent or distinguished for what is amiable, valuable or laudable; as an excellent man or citizen; an excellent judge or magistrate."

The call to excellence parallels the call in Philippians 2:12 to work out our own salvation. When a person calls upon Jesus to save them from their sins, that one's spirit is instantly and completely recreated in the image of the perfect and holy God of the Universe. His or her soul (mind, will, and emotions) changes into that image over time and through diligent obedience to the Word. Yes, salvation is a process, not perfection.

No woman could be expected, or expect of herself, to accomplish everything in Proverbs 31 in one day, or even one week. It represents the process of a lifetime, a lifetime spent obeying God's daily, step-by-step directions, a lifetime spent receiving His divine enablement to work out her own excellence.

Though Proverbs 31 is written about women, it was originally written to men in the words of Bathsheba to her son, Solomon. It delineates what a man should look for in a woman. One of the last things she tells him is, "Beauty is vain" (verse 30). It is the only time beauty is mentioned in the chapter.

Just as Proverbs 31 is a call to women to live a life of excellence, it's a call to men to mature concerning what they value in women. A mature man values in an excellent woman what only frustrates his selfish, immature, and egocentric brother. A mature man looks past what appeals to the eye today, to the qualities that will bless a lifetime. He doesn't look for perfection today, but for a process at work to develop increasing excellence in the future.

The Bible refers to rubies when valuing an excellent, capable, and intelligent woman. Rubies are a mineral second in hardness only to a diamond, and like all minerals, are created by a process occurring deep in the earth. Likewise, the lifetime process that develops the Proverbs 31 woman occurs deep in her spirit, in the place where she communes with her Maker.

If you don't yet see yourself or your female loved one in Proverbs 31, look again. God sees you in there. He's destined his daughters to develop into excellent, capable, and intelligent women... one day at a time.