PARIS -- The French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant has complete feeling in the new tissue five months after the operation, she told a Sunday newspaper.

Isabelle Dinoire, 38, also told Le Journal du Dimanche that the hardest part of her recovery appeared to be getting to know herself again. When asked if she has accepted her new face, she responded: "It's too difficult to explain."

She takes out old photos and, shocked at the difference between her former face and her new one, tells herself that she simply has aged, she said.

Dinoire said her speech has improved as she has gained more facial mobility.

"The scars have considerably healed. The doctors are confident. In addition, I have recovered total feeling," Dinoire said.

The mother of two last spoke publicly in February, when she held a lengthy news conference with medical personnel in the northern town of Amiens, where her Nov. 27 operation took place.

Dinoire lost much of her face when she was mauled by her pet Labrador while knocked out from drugs she took to forget a trying week. Her lipless gums and teeth were exposed, and most of her nose was missing.

Dinoire wore a surgical mask in public to avoid frightening people. During 15 hours of surgery, a team of doctors replaced the gaping hole in her face with a donor transplant that included a new nose, mouth and chin.

"Each day that passes, I think, above all, of the donor and her family whom I cannot thank enough," she told the newspaper. "We must not forget that today, thanks to them, I have become visible again."

story & photo courtesy canada.com & AP/Michel Spingler, 04/30/06

¹²Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. ¹³We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. ¹⁴But the people's minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. ¹⁵Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. ¹⁶But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ¹⁸And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

This passage of scripture is often hard to understand because it talks about Moses, veils, mirrors, and the Lord, all in just a few verses.  But if you'll carefully read the study notes from Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE, I think you'll discover the incredible story behind these verses and an inspiring challenge for each of us who claim to follow Jesus:

3:13-18  When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, his face glowed from being in God's presence (Exodus 34:29-35).  Moses had to put on a veil to keep the people from being terrified by the brightness of his face and from seeing the radiance fade away.  This veil illustrates the fading of the old system and the veiling of the people's minds because of their pride, hardness of heart, and refusal to repent.  The veil kept them from understanding references to Christ in the Scriptures.  When anyone becomes a Christian, the veil is stripped off (3:16), giving eternal life and freedom from bondage.  That person can then be like a mirror reflecting God's glory....The glory that the Spirit imparts to the believer is more excellent and lasts longer than the glory that Moses experienced.  By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him.  In the Good News, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it.  Through learning about Christ's life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like.  As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change. 

Isabelle Dinoire, the French woman with the new face, is amazed when she looks at before and after photos because there is such a difference.  

Do we (and those around us) see a difference in the before and after pictures of our lives?  Has the face of Jesus become visible? 

• Since this passage is complicated, read and study it one more time during the next couple of days.
• Write down a list of how your "face" is looking more like Jesus and how it's not.  Keep it where you can review it, pray about it, and see God's Spirit help you change it.
• During the couple of weeks, whenever you look in a mirror (probably several times a day), let Jesus remind you to let Him help you reflect His glory!

Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG.  Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college.  He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.