My sisters once pranked me by saying they had signed a contract with a beauty service to change things about themselves and their bodies. I had tried to argue and convince them not to go through with it, telling them how beautiful they are and how God doesn't make mistakes and all that. Finally, they got tired of my speech and told me it was all a joke. I exhaled in relief. We laughed, talked and then said goodbye, but the thought of what beauty has come to be defined as and how altered it is now stayed on my mind.

I see it every day. It’s everywhere. I see the girl at the gym who’s lifting more weight than her body can handle, but she won’t stop because she wants to feel beautiful and doesn't know how beautiful she already is. She is trying to keep up with the world's constantly changing standards of beauty.

So, to the beautiful girl at the gym:

You. Are. Beautiful. Just the way you are. Believe it. And this doesn't have anything to do with how expensive and trendy your clothes are or how good are you at putting on eyeliner. Beauty is not found in the malls or beauty salons or on the treadmills. You are beautiful because being beautiful is all about that heart of yours that beats for others, loves deeply and cares. The heart that cries for injustices and has the desire to change the world. The heart that is full of gratitude because it received the gift of living another day to the fullest. The heart that sees even the unspoken need and reaches out. The heart that is comfortable, raw, honest, vulnerable and brave.

Know that you are unconditionally loved by the most beautiful Creator in the universe. Isn’t that enough to make you and us all feel beautiful?

If that isn't enough, then you might need to change the way you measure beauty.

Remember: You are beautiful because you have the DNA of the most beautiful God.