Every valley shall be exalted,

and every mountain and hill made low;

the crooked straight,

and the rough places plain.

(Isaiah 40:4)

For the longest time I read this scripture as referring only to changes to the geography of the earth at Christ’s second coming.  But over time I’ve come to realize that the more profound lesson it has for us is a symbolic message about the ability of Christ’s atonement to change people.  This is the message we can use every day of our lives.

Just like there is variety to geography, there is variety in people.  Just like the earth has valleys and mountains, among people we find the humble and downtrodden and depressed, as well as the proud and tyrannizing.  Christ’s atonement has the ability to correct those conditions all in the best way. 

Just like there are crooked places, there are crooked people, both physically and spiritually.  Christ’s atonement can fix that.  He can straighten people’s character and He can heal crooked limbs.

Just like there are rough and bumpy places on the earth that can be planed down, nearly every human being has rough places in their character, and Christ’s atonement can plane those down.  He is a refiner and polisher.