At last, when Chrissie is ready to give up all hope, she has a conversation with God. She begs him to make her into a creature like the wonderful animals she has seen, but God has something better in mind. He explains why He has made Chrissie the way she is. He then directs her to the pond, where Chrissie finally captures a vision of herself as God sees her. She realizes her shell is not empty after all and that God loves her just the way she is.