More haste, less speed, is an old saying; the more we are exacting, the less likely are we to succeed.
Men like to act freely, and to have the credit of their actions.
It is because we have not learned to persevere that the work seems never to progress.
Courage, then! the ground may seem too dry for cultivation, but each prayer will be as a drop of water; the marble may be very hard, but each prayer is like the hammer's stroke that wears away its roughness.
XXVII.
The sweet peace of God bears the outward token of resignation.
When the Holy Spirit dwells within us everything seems bright.
Everything may not be exactly as [pg 052] we would wish it, but we accept all with a good grace.... For instance, some change in our household or mode of living upsets us. If God is with us, He will whisper, "Yield cheerfully thy will; in a little while all will be forgotten."
Some command or employment wounds our pride; if God is with us, He will say to us, "Be submissive, and I will come to thine aid."