Peter, son of Jonah (actually Simon, called Peter, was a fisherman by trade. Many that lived around the sea of Galilee were. He probably had no formal training, and being tactful was not his style. He could be presumptuous, speaking before weighing his words for the effect they might have on others.

But God saw potential in Peter and gave him acclaim when others would have passed him by to choose another follower of His son, Jesus Christ. If we follow the doings of Peter through the New Testament as he walked with Jesus.

We see his passion for being a faithful, thankful follower. Jesus patiently taught Peter, little by little, howto truly love Him, and God His Father. He taught Him how to be kind, loving, giving, patient, unmovable in his faith and walk. These were trustworthy lessons he learned --sometimes very slowly.

But the book of II Peter, which he is given credit for writing, with the help of Silvanus, his secretary, shows a very different Peter. His life is truly a fascinating one. He followed Jesus even when rebuked by Him. I'm sure he must have known how much he was loved in spite of his failures; loosing faith when walking on the water and denying Jesus the privilege of washing his feet were examples. He even denied he knew Jesus when it might cost him plenty, perhaps his life.

But Jesus knew what Peter was made of before he was formed in his mother's womb, and chose him to be his bold leader of the disciples. He was the one to proclaim to the rest who Jesus really was--"the son of the living God." Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. Jesus knew Peter would stand firm in trials, and imprisonment; he would be bold to preach to thousands on the day of Pentecost and have the faith to do miracles in Jesus' name.