A Beautiful Woman
"Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit" -- 1 Pet. 3:3–4
The text does not forbid proper attention to the matter of dress and outward appearance. It simply says that attention should be directed chiefly to the adornment of a character.
Beauty is more a matter of character than of outward grace and charm. Some women seem to think it is an altogether outward matter, and so they give the major attention to dress and to features of the face and form. It is, of course, entirely proper that a woman should give attention to these things, but it should be remembered that physical beauty loses much of its attractiveness unless there is a corresponding beauty of soul.
Beauty is a subtle thing. It does not depend upon facial proportions. It is sometimes seen upon the most irregular features. It is the soul shining through the face that makes one really beautiful. Cultivate in the heart the spirit of meekness, quietness, gentleness, and modesty, and the face will shine with a beauty that far surpasses superficial beauty.
Many faces reveal a spirit of boldness, vanity, haughtiness, hardness, and harshness. If a woman has a spirit of that kind, no amount of perfumery and outward adornment can conceal its mark upon her features. And when I see a woman with her features so marked, no matter how well proportioned her facial lines, no matter how graceful her figure, no matter how pleasing the fashion of her dress, I do not consider her beautiful. I consider a woman beautiful whose beauty is the outward expression of internal qualities of the heart and mind. Beauty of figure and loveliness of face are admirable gifts; but without corresponding graces and good qualities of heart they do not make a beautiful woman.
