Is there more than to the tip of the iceberg?

I just heard a very inspiring message from a woman of God. Indeed, the message is very relevant to us as believers today. Using the illustration from the movie "Titanic", what sank the ship that was termed "unsinkable" was not the 10% that was visible above the waters but the 90% that man could not see. I felt it was such an apt illustration that she used to bring across the fact that often we focus so much on the 10% that people can see- our external appearance rather than the 90% - our character that others or even we ourselves have difficulty grasping and understanding. But, yet it could be this 90% that causes us to fall.
What is our character made of? Our personal identity, our values or ethics, our emotional stability and lastly our personal discipline. If there are any significant flaws in any of the above-mentioned four aspects, could it mean also a character flaw that we have. Man in general, be it males or females focus so much on our external appearances that we know do not last but what really last is the strength of our character. But, yet why do we still invest our resources into the things that do not last?
I think when the Holy Spirit do speak to us on anything, there needs to be an adequate response and personally, I realise I have to invest my resources on the 90% that may not be visible so that I can be someone who is credible and reliable.