Mark 8:22-30 starts with a healing and ends with a declaration. It causes us to ask a simple question: What stage are you in with your pursuit of God?

Jesus lays his hand on the blind man and does something unusual: he heals in stages. At first the man can’t see clearly, then Jesus touches him again and his sight is completely restored. Mark 8:22-26

The two-stage healing is a metaphor for what Jesus’ disciples were experiencing on a spiritual level. Throughout the book of Mark the disciples were progressively gaining clarity on the true identity of Jesus. 

In Caesarea Philippi Peter makes a personal declaration of faith. This is the first time a character in the story echoes the truth of the book’s opening verse. Mark 8:27-30, Mark 1:1

God is continually working to reveal himself to us. The defining moment is when we make a personal declaration of faith in Jesus. Romans 10:9-10