Too often we carry around a list of character traits and habits which we own. The undesirable ones we may even hate and make sporadic attempts to get rid of, but all the while we are in a state of possession. Is it any wonder they cling to us so tenaciously? "Possession is nine tenths of the law" applies here!
When I was at my lowest, totally discouraged about my inability to get rid of some of my bad traits, it clicked. This self I had been obsessing about, God never created. In fact, it was unfixable, beyond saving. I was relieved to discover that when Jesus declared, "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect." he was not talking about this self of mine. He was talking about the image and likeness of God. "BE ye therefore perfect" - not aim to be perfect. CHOOSE to be that image or expression of Him that loves unconditionally.
Surely it is not a simply matter of choice, this transformation of identity? No. It requires giving up ownership, ownership of that list of traits and habits - from the premise that a good God did not make defects and limitations and therefore they do not belong to us. When the old trait or habit appears, we can declare "No connection!" This may not bring about an immediate transformation, but it will set us on a path far more productive.
"The sculptor turns from the marble to his model in order to perfect his conception. We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling thought. What is the model before mortal mind?..." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures)