We have developed an entirely new formulation to obtain self-gravitating, axisymmetric configurations in permanent rotation. It is based on the Lagrangian variational principle and, as a consequence, will allow us to apply it to stellar evolution calculations rather easily. We adopt a Monte Carlo technique, which is analogous to those employed in other fields, e.g. nuclear physics, in minimizing the energy functional. We also present the analogies between the study on rotating stellar configurations and the one on deformed nuclei. Possible applications are not limited to main sequence stars but will be extended to e.g. compact stars, proto-stars and planets. We believe that our formulation will be a major break-through then.