Ivory Soap used to advertise itself as being 99 and 44/100 % pure. When I was a kid it was the only soap my family used. It came out in bars about the size of the palm of my hand.
Purity is something God consistently calls us to live by. In the Old Testament, Proverbs 15:26 says, "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant." In the New Testament Jesus said (in Matthew 5:8), "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Later his brother James wrote, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27)).
There are two kinds of purity: inward and outward. Inward purity works with our thoughts and motives, keeping them godly and free from selfishness and anger. Outward purity deals with our actions and behaviors, towards other people and towards God. These are interconnected. Jesus, you'll remember, criticized the Pharisees for fluffing up their outward appearance while neglecting their inward sinful condition (Luke 11:39). True outward purity comes from inward purity, just like a plant grows from a seed.
When people submit their lives to God they begin this purifying process. Titus 3:5 says that God saved us according to His mercy "through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." New birth and new life are the results of this "Ivory Soap" cleansing the God provides.
God Bless you.
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