diff --git a/src/highlight-component.coffee b/src/highlight-component.coffee
deleted file mode 100644
index ef090ea7b..000000000
--- a/src/highlight-component.coffee
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-React = require 'react-atom-fork'
-{div} = require 'reactionary-atom-fork'
-{isEqualForProperties} = require 'underscore-plus'
-
-module.exports =
-HighlightComponent = React.createClass
-  displayName: 'HighlightComponent'
-  currentFlashCount: 0
-  currentFlashClass: null
-
-  render: ->
-    {state} = @props
-
-    className = 'highlight'
-    className += " #{state.class}" if state.class?
-
-    div {className},
-      for region, i in state.regions
-        regionClassName = 'region'
-        regionClassName += " #{state.deprecatedRegionClass}" if state.deprecatedRegionClass?
-        div className: regionClassName, key: i, style: region
-
-  componentDidMount: ->
-    @flashIfRequested()
-
-  componentDidUpdate: ->
-    @flashIfRequested()
-
-  flashIfRequested: ->
-    if @props.state.flashCount > @currentFlashCount
-      @currentFlashCount = @props.state.flashCount
-
-      node = @getDOMNode()
-      {flashClass, flashDuration} = @props.state
-
-      addFlashClass = =>
-        node.classList.add(flashClass)
-        @currentFlashClass = flashClass
-        @flashTimeoutId = setTimeout(removeFlashClass, flashDuration)
-
-      removeFlashClass = =>
-        node.classList.remove(@currentFlashClass)
-        @currentFlashClass = null
-        clearTimeout(@flashTimeoutId)
-
-      if @currentFlashClass?
-        removeFlashClass()
-        requestAnimationFrame(addFlashClass)
-      else
-        addFlashClass()
diff --git a/src/highlights-component.coffee b/src/highlights-component.coffee
index 1d7ae4de3..e402ccbe2 100644
--- a/src/highlights-component.coffee
+++ b/src/highlights-component.coffee
@@ -1,25 +1,118 @@
 React = require 'react-atom-fork'
 {div} = require 'reactionary-atom-fork'
-{isEqualForProperties} = require 'underscore-plus'
-HighlightComponent = require './highlight-component'
+
+RegionStyleProperties = ['top', 'left', 'right', 'width', 'height']
 
 module.exports =
 HighlightsComponent = React.createClass
   displayName: 'HighlightsComponent'
+  oldState: null
+  highlightNodesById: null
+  regionNodesByHighlightId: null
 
   render: ->
-    div className: 'highlights',
-      @renderHighlights()
+    div className: 'highlights'
 
-  renderHighlights: ->
-    {presenter} = @props
-    highlightComponents = []
-    for key, state of presenter.state.content.highlights
-      highlightComponents.push(HighlightComponent({key, state}))
-    highlightComponents
+  componentWillMount: ->
+    @highlightNodesById = {}
+    @regionNodesByHighlightId = {}
 
   componentDidMount: ->
     if atom.config.get('editor.useShadowDOM')
       insertionPoint = document.createElement('content')
       insertionPoint.setAttribute('select', '.underlayer')
       @getDOMNode().appendChild(insertionPoint)
+
+  componentDidUpdate: ->
+    @updateSync()
+
+  updateSync: ->
+    node = @getDOMNode()
+    newState = @props.presenter.state.content.highlights
+    @oldState ?= {}
+
+    # remove highlights
+    for id of @oldState
+      unless newState[id]?
+        @highlightNodesById[id].remove()
+        delete @highlightNodesById[id]
+        delete @regionNodesByHighlightId[id]
+        delete @oldState[id]
+
+    # add or update highlights
+    for id, highlightState of newState
+      unless @oldState[id]?
+        highlightNode = document.createElement('div')
+        highlightNode.classList.add('highlight')
+        @highlightNodesById[id] = highlightNode
+        @regionNodesByHighlightId[id] = {}
+        node.appendChild(highlightNode)
+      @updateHighlightNode(id, highlightState)
+
+  updateHighlightNode: (id, newHighlightState) ->
+    highlightNode = @highlightNodesById[id]
+    oldHighlightState = (@oldState[id] ?= {regions: [], flashCount: 0})
+
+    # update class
+    if newHighlightState.class isnt oldHighlightState.class
+      highlightNode.classList.remove(oldHighlightState.class) if oldHighlightState.class?
+      highlightNode.classList.add(newHighlightState.class)
+      oldHighlightState.class = newHighlightState.class
+
+    @updateHighlightRegions(id, newHighlightState)
+    @flashHighlightNodeIfRequested(id, newHighlightState)
+
+  updateHighlightRegions: (id, newHighlightState) ->
+    oldHighlightState = @oldState[id]
+    highlightNode = @highlightNodesById[id]
+
+    # remove regions
+    while oldHighlightState.regions.length > newHighlightState.regions.length
+      oldHighlightState.regions.pop()
+      @regionNodesByHighlightId[id][oldHighlightState.regions.length].remove()
+      delete @regionNodesByHighlightId[id][oldHighlightState.regions.length]
+
+    # add or update regions
+    for newRegionState, i in newHighlightState.regions
+      unless oldHighlightState.regions[i]?
+        oldHighlightState.regions[i] = {}
+        regionNode = document.createElement('div')
+        regionNode.classList.add('region')
+        regionNode.classList.add(newHighlightState.deprecatedRegionClass) if newHighlightState.deprecatedRegionClass?
+        @regionNodesByHighlightId[id][i] = regionNode
+        highlightNode.appendChild(regionNode)
+
+      oldRegionState = oldHighlightState.regions[i]
+      regionNode = @regionNodesByHighlightId[id][i]
+
+      for property in RegionStyleProperties
+        if newRegionState[property] isnt oldRegionState[property]
+          oldRegionState[property] = newRegionState[property]
+          if newRegionState[property]?
+            regionNode.style[property] = newRegionState[property] + 'px'
+          else
+            regionNode.style[property] = ''
+
+  flashHighlightNodeIfRequested: (id, newHighlightState) ->
+    oldHighlightState = @oldState[id]
+    return unless newHighlightState.flashCount > oldHighlightState.flashCount
+
+    highlightNode = @highlightNodesById[id]
+
+    addFlashClass = =>
+      highlightNode.classList.add(newHighlightState.flashClass)
+      oldHighlightState.flashClass = newHighlightState.flashClass
+      @flashTimeoutId = setTimeout(removeFlashClass, newHighlightState.flashDuration)
+
+    removeFlashClass = =>
+      highlightNode.classList.remove(oldHighlightState.flashClass)
+      oldHighlightState.flashClass = null
+      clearTimeout(@flashTimeoutId)
+
+    if oldHighlightState.flashClass?
+      removeFlashClass()
+      requestAnimationFrame(addFlashClass)
+    else
+      addFlashClass()
+
+    oldHighlightState.flashCount = newHighlightState.flashCount