Nature is always changing... or is it?

Aristotle tries to differentiate between whether nature is at rest (static) or always changing (dynamic). My question is, couldn't it be both?
Nature is the beginning of all existence as we know it. There has never been life without nature. If nature has always been there, then how would we know if it has ever been different of if it's always been the way that it is now?
Nature is always changing in small ways, but couldn't it be going through cycles that just repeat themselves, and therefor make nature constant?