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The word countenance comes from the Latin word continentia, which means, literally, "the way one contains oneself." The way we compose ourselves--the way we think in our hearts--shows up on our faces.

William Stidger says, "A person's face is the signature of his soul."

The Bible shares a remarkable connection with this truth. In Psalms, the psalmist wrote, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Proverbs 15:13 says, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."

And Ecclesiastes 8:1 says, "Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance."

We spend billions of dollars each year for substances used to enhance or protect the appearance of the human body. Today cosmetics include skin-care creams, perfumes, and lipsticks, all intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, and promoting attractiveness. Yet the greatest beauty secret of all time is the simplest--beauty inside that shows on the outside.