Justin Bieber has gone a long way since his debut.

On Saturday (Jan. 23), the 26-year-old pop artist turned to Instagram to reflect on his incarceration in 2014 and how his connection with God has helped him grow as a person, writing:

“7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god.”

He then quipped that he “also wore too much leather for someone in Miami,” alluding to the photo’s loose, calf-length leather shorts.

He stated, “God has brought me a long way. From then til now I do realize something… God was as close to me then as he is right now. My encouragement to you is to let your past be a reminder of how far god has brought you. Don’t allow shame to ruin your ‘today’ let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be. LOVE YOU GUYS WITH MY WHOLE HEART.”

Bieber was detained in Miami in January 2014 after reportedly racing a yellow Lamborghini while inebriated. “Bieber’s entourage blocked traffic at Pine Tree Drive and 26th Street to create a ‘drag racing strip’ so that the pop star would have ample space to speed,” a police official told the Miami New Times shortly after the incident. Justin was going 55 to 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.

Bieber agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and resisting arrest without violence in August of that year. In addition, the “Lonely” singer agreed to undergo an anger management course and donate $50,000 to charity.

Bieber got a flurry of well-wishes from celebrity pals in reaction to the kind post.

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On Bieber’s Instagram post, Jaden Smith and his manager Scooter Braun expressed their support for him.

Smith commented, “This is such a strong message,”

Tom Brady stated, “We live and learn.”

This isn’t the first time Bieber has broached the subject of his arrest. The musician said on Instagram in 2017 that he had grown up a lot since his DUI.

“I LOVE THIS because it reminds me IM NOT EXACTLY WHERE I WANT TO BE BUT THANK GOD IM NOT WHERE I USED TO BE!! THE BEST IS YET TO COME DO YOU BELIEVE IT?” he captioned a side-by-side photo of his mugshot and a recent selfie.

Justin claimed in a long 2019 social media post that being a worldwide sensation at the age of 13 had a detrimental influence on his development.

“I went from a 13-year-old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world, with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was,” he wrote. “You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it.”

“By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world.”