"...That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ." (Phil. 1:10)

The word "sincere" has an interesting history. It comes from two Latin words which mean "without wax." Artificers of Middle Eastern countries fashioned highly expensive statuettes out of very fine porcelain. It was of such fragile nature that extreme care had to be taken when firing the figurines to keep them from cracking. Dishonest dealers would accept the cracked figurines at a much lower price and then fill the cracks with wax before offering them for sale. Honest merchants would display their uncracked porcelain wares with signs that read, "sine cera," that is, "without wax." (From How to Succeed with Your Money, by George M. Bowman)

Let us be sincere (without wax - pure, unsullied, genuine) in our service to the Lord.