Christian Science reinterprets Matthew 16:18 spiritually. The 'rock' is not Peter the person but spiritual understanding or consciousness of divine Truth. The confession 'You are the Christ' represents awakening to the reality of divine Principle. The church, in Christian Science understanding, is not an institutional organization but a communion of individual consciousnesses awakened to Truth. Peter (meaning 'stone' in Aramaic) symbolizes the mineral-like consciousness that must be transformed by spiritual understanding. The keys represent power to understand and demonstrate spiritual law.