The soul which rises from out of sin to a devout life has been compared to the dawn, which does not banish darkness suddenly, but by degrees. The slow cure is always the surest, and spiritual maladies, like those of the body, while they are apt to come on horseback and express, tend to depart slowly on foot.

So we must be brave and patient, my daughter, in this undertaking. It is sad to see souls beginning to grow disheartened because they find themselves still subject to imperfection after having made some attempt at leading a devout life…to give up in despair and fall back; but, on the other hand, those souls are in worse danger who, through the opposite temptation, imagine themselves purified from all imperfection at the very outset, and who count themselves as full-grown almost before they are born. Be sure, daughter, that these are in great danger of a relapse through having left their physician too soon.

– FRANCIS DE SALES (1567-1622) Saint, bishop of Geneva

Don’t give up. The work of God is hidden from all human eye as by faith he works silently and invisibly within our heart. He molds beneath the surface of our every circumstance and situation we encounter. He will accomplish his purposes. He never fails and He never gives up. Everything he creates is excellently suited for its end purpose.

We must be patient as we wait and place all our hope in Him for the change we so badly want to see in our lives.  The drastic changes that we desire so much and grow increasingly impatient for that seem so far out of our reach. Changes we know that we are helpless to make because we have tried and failed time and time again until we finally gave up all hope and desperately looked to Him as our only hope of Salvation.  Completely humble and ready to yield to his methods, whatever they may be. No longer fighting and struggling against Him for our own way to avoid further suffering. We trust and come to Him as  our physician. We seek his remedy regardless of the immediate pain, we want future wholeness. We know He is able.

So we come to Him. Holding out our brokenness that we carefully shielded and tried to cope with for so long on our own.  Ready for the pain to finally end by His taking what was disjointed and gently and lovingly putting it back into place. The additional pain that we feared so much lasts only but a moment, but the final healing brings joy and peace that is eternal.

We are his craftsmanship created to display his excellence. We know our end purpose. Our confidence and peace come from being held in his hands. He never fails. We know that whatever is being chipped away from us right now, a  new and more beautiful shape is being created below the surface. Anxiously we wait and anxiously we hope to be the person he already sees us as.  No matter what it takes.