Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 'Do not conform to the pattern of this world.' An interesting statement.
When I think of a pattern, I think of my Mom at her sewing machine, usually making a dress or skirt for herself. She would buy a pattern, cut out all the pieces and sew them together. She was pretty good and followed the pattern closely so her work usually turned out well.
Another pattern I think of is a Paint By Numbers piece. As a kid I did several of these. The canvas would have a pattern printed on it with numbers in each of the pieces of the pattern. Each number corresponded to a certain paint color. If you followed the pattern and put the correct paint color in each space then the picture would appear.
In both cases the patterns are the work of someone else. The sewing pattern was created by a designer at some company. Likewise the Paint By Number pattern was created by someone else. They were the designers. If we followed their patterns then we didn't create anything of our own, but rather created their vision, their design for us.
So, what is the world's pattern?
I believe the pattern we choose to follow sometimes comes from our parents. They have a pattern for how they hope we will turn out - usually to be successful in some kind of meaningful career, to make a lot of money, to have a family, etc. If we follow their pattern closely then we will be successful by their terms. Sometimes our parents' pattern for us is not positive - you're stupid, clumsy, dumb, etc., etc. If we follow that pattern we live a life far below what God intends for us.
Sometimes the pattern we choose is one designed by our peers. I laugh everytime I see a young person who is defying standardization by how they dress. They want to be different, not buy into the world's pattern for them. However, they are dressing like thousands of other young people and they have just agreed to another standard, another pattern designed by someone else.
Sometimes the pattern is one designed by the career we choose. Doctors and lawyers are usually expected to dress a certain way and act a certain way.
In each of these patterns, our mind is conformed to the expectations, to the design created by someone else.
I believe God's design is that each of us is unique - with our own skills, abilities, talents and desires. There is no set pattern that we are to follow other than to follow Christ. Our minds are meant to be renewed, to be released, to be free of the world's patterns so that we may grow into the stature of Christ and to realize all the gifts and benefits of being a child of God.
We are not expected to look like Christ, but to be like Christ. Jesus was a complete human being and fully realized all that God the Father gave him in his human form. He was fully human and all that he was meant to be. The world, specifically the religious leaders of this day, had a pattern they expected him to conform to, but he did not chose to conform to their pattern. He wanted only to be what God meant for him to be.
I believe that's what God wants for us - to be fully human and and to be all that he means for us to be.
I'll ride one of these Rocky Mountain Horses on Wednesday. They're trained, but not quite as finished as Fresco so I will have a little more of a challenge as I apply what I'm learning. 
