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INNER CIRCLE: Unveiled Faces

INNER CIRCLE: Unveiled Faces

Last updated on: July 24, 2026 at 6:28 pm by Keith Giles

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INNER CIRCLE: Unveiled Faces 2026-07-24T18:28:57+00:00 Keith Giles

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IMAGE: Keith Giles

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the glory of God, are being transformed into God’s image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from God, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

According to the Apostle Paul, everyone who “contemplates the glory of God (is) being transformed into God’s image with ever-increasing glory.” That’s an expansive invitation with an extremely low entry point. To be transformed into the image of God, one need only to meditate on the glory of God’s goodness with an “unveiled” face.

But what does it mean to contemplate God’s glory with an unveiled face? A veil suggests someone is hiding something. So, it would seem that we are encouraged to imagine God’s infinite goodness without self-consciousness or fear.

Removing the veil means we are aware of who we are – not thinking too highly of ourselves, and not too critical of ourselves, but simply accepting ourselves as beings made in the image of a God who is love.

The veil is also about pulling back from others. It’s about believing the lie that we are somehow separate from those around us. The veil in the Jewish Temple separated God from humanity. The veil in this passage refers to the veil that Moses wore to separate himself from the rest of the children of Israel. Veils are about division. Unveiling ourselves means embracing our Oneness with one another, and with the One we are created by.

All of us who remove the veil of separation are free to contemplate the glory of God: both in ourselves, and in others. This process of unveiling is what allows us to fully receive the glory of God that is available to everyone, everywhere, and this is the catalyst for our transformation “into God’s image with ever-increasing glory.”

In other words, this unveiling contemplation is not a one-and-done conversion experience. It is a lifelong practice of removing our veils to contemplate the infinite glory of God that radiates in and through the world around us.

The contemplation of God’s glory cannot be accomplished behind a veil of separation. Our transformation into God’s image requires us to embrace our shared humanity and our shared divinity.

What many of us forget is that a veil is very thin. We can sometimes forget we’re wearing one. We can even convince ourselves that we are living unveiled lives. But, to fully experience this transformation, we have to ensure that no veil of separation remains between us and God, or between us and the people around us.

We have to ask ourselves what veils remain in our lives. We have to be willing to remove those veils whenever we can.

Contemplating the glory of God from behind our veils can lull us into believing that God’s goodness is only for us, or that our connection with God is somehow private.

The ever-increasing glory of God we experience is directly tied to our ever-widening perception of God’s presence permeating everyone and everything around us.

My new book, The Quantum Gospel of Philip and the Valentinian Christ is now available on Amazon in Print and Kindle. Audiobook coming soon.

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, Coast To Coast with George Noory, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He co-hosts the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.

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