Romans 8:23

Even in this world, saints are God’s children, but people cannot recognize them as such, except by certain moral characteristics. The adoption is not yet manifested; the children are not yet openly declared. Among the Romans, a man might adopt a child and keep it private for a long time. However, there was a second adoption in public. When the child was brought before the constituted authorities, its former garments were taken off, and the father who took it to be his child gave it clothing suitable to its new condition in life.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. We are not yet arrayed in the apparel that befits the royal family of heaven; we are wearing in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the sons of Adam. But we know that when he shall appear, who is the first-born among many brethren, we shall be like him; we shall see him as he is.

Can you not imagine that a child taken from the lowest ranks of society, and adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, “I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted. Then I shall leave off these plebeian garments and be robed as befits my senatorial rank”?

Happy in what he has received, for that very reason he groans to get the fullness of what is promised him. So it is with us today. We are waiting until we put on our proper garments and are manifested as the children of God. We are young nobles and have not yet worn our coronets.

We are young brides, and the marriage day has not yet come. By the love our Spouse has for us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning. Our very happiness makes us groan for more; our joy, like a swollen spring, longs to well up like an Icelandic geyser, leaping to the skies, and it heaves and groans within our spirit for lack of space and room to manifest itself to people.