Who we are defines and determines what we do. Actions, desires, opinions, preferences... these, and much more are products of nature. A tree bears fruit according to its nature, apple trees bear apples, peach trees bear peaches, thorn trees bear thorns... Peter reminds us that as children of God we have been given NEW natures, these new natures give us a new set of desires, of preferences, of thoughts, of actions which are born out of these new things... but he also pleads with us to embrace that newness, to turn our minds and attention TO that very newness which now defines who we are. For we are chosen that we might proclaim the goodness of the God who saved us, the beauty of the Christ who purchased us with His own blood! If we set our attention on that which is behind us we weaken our ability to live in the newness of who we are. The truth of our dual natures, one old, one new is this: the one you feed is the one who leads... therefore, live as you are called, beloved, live as the royal priesthood of the Most High God!! Live as new creations who are now a people called by His name.