23/08/2026
When I was younger, I thought that if I prayed hard enough and worked hard enough, God would answer my prayers immediately and things would always work out according to my plans.
But as I grew older, especially during my mission and later during college, I discovered that many of God's greatest lessons don't come quickly.
They come through waiting, through setbacks, and through experiences that require both patience and
perseverance.
Today, I would like to share some thoughts about these two Christlike attributes: patience
and perseverance.
The Principle of Patience
Patience is one of the Christlike attributes that we have been admonished to develop by both ancient and latter-day prophets. Time and again, we are reminded that this attribute blesses not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us.
In Preach My Gospel, chapter 6, Seek Christlike Attributes, patience is defined as:
"The capacity to trust God as you face delay, opposition, or suffering. Through your faith,
you trust God's timing for His promised blessings to be fulfilled."
This teaches us that developing patience requires a willingness to face delays, opposition, and suffering. As Father Lehi taught, "there must needs be an opposition in all things."
Opposition is part of God's plan for our growth.
But our Heavenly Father has not left us without help. He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the anchor of our souls during times of trial, opposition, delay, and suffering.
As we exercise faith in Him, we learn to trust not only His promises but also His timing.
I remember during my mission in the Philippines Manila Mission, while serving in my third area, I often prayed, "Heavenly Father, please teach me the things I need to learn so that I may become Thy useful servant."
As I continued offering that prayer, Heavenly Father answered it, but not in the way I expected. He gave me the very thing He wanted me to learn through: my companion.
Through this elder, the Lord taught me one important lesson, patience.
And, brothers and sisters, my patience was truly tried.
The days seemed to pass so slowly because of the challenges I was facing. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, two full transfer cycles had passed.
Looking back, those were the longest two transfer cycles of my mission. They even felt longer than the two cycles I spent as a trainee.
After those two cycles, my companion was transferred to another area. Once again, I
prayed, "Heavenly Father, please teach me the things I need to learn so that I may become Thy useful servant."
Fast forward to my final transfer cycle. I was still offering that same prayer, and do you
know what the Lord gave me?
Another companion who stretched my patience.
At that point, I thought to myself, "Lord, I think I've already learned this lesson." But I soon
realized I still had much more to learn.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared a story about a famous study conducted by a Stanford University professor in the 1960s. The professor placed a marshmallow in front of four- year-old children and told them they could either eat it immediately or wait 15 minutes and receive two marshmallows instead.
He then left the room and observed them through a two-way mirror. Some children ate the
marshmallow immediately. Others waited only a few minutes before giving in to temptation.
Only about 30 percent were able to wait the full 15 minutes.
Years later, the professor followed the lives of those same children and discovered an interesting pattern. Those who had learned to wait generally became more positive and motivated, performed better in school, developed healthier relationships, and were more successful in many aspects of life.
What began as a simple experiment became a
landmark study suggesting that the ability to wait, to be patient, is an important character trait that can influence future success.
President Uchtdorf then taught:
"Patience is not merely waiting. Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act
because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring.
It means staying with something and doing all that we can: working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed.
It means actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results don't appear instantly or without effort.
Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well."
I especially love that phrase: "Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well."
Patience also means that when something cannot be changed immediately, we accept it with courage, grace, and faith. This naturally leads us to another Christlike attribute, perseverance.
The Principle of Perseverance
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, perseverance means continued effort to do
or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. It is closely related to steadfastness.
Throughout the scriptures we read about faithful servants who persevered despite tremendous hardship. Among them are the Apostle Paul, Abinadi, Captain Moroni, and Samuel the Lamanite.
In Helaman 13:2-4 we read,
"2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.
3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.
4 And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart."
No one naturally wants to return to a place where they have already been rejected. Yet Samuel obeyed the Lord. He persevered in doing something he knew would be difficult and could even cost him his life.
To persevere means continuing to make an effort. It means working consistently toward a righteous goal.
It means faithfully fulfilling our responsibilities even when we face obstacles, discouragement, or delays.
I learned this same lesson again during my internship.
During my fourth and fifth rotations, I was assigned to the Philippine Children's Medical Center in Quezon City.
At first, I thought to myself, "Mga bata ra man ni. Sayon ra ni. Piece of cake. Hilig baya ko og
mga bata."
But I quickly realized how wrong my assumptions were.
On my very first day of patient encounters, I met my first pediatric patient.
From the moment he saw me until the end of our 45-minute treatment session, he cried so loudly that it seemed like the entire Rehabilitation Department could hear him.
As if that wasn't enough, I also had to adjust to new routines, pediatric treatment techniques, demanding schedules, countless topics to study, examinations, quizzes, and a very strict clinical instructor.
Those first two weeks were among the most difficult of my internship. Every day I felt physically and mentally exhausted, and every morning I found
myself thinking, "I don't want to do this anymore."
Then I came up with a simple personal mantra that helped me keep going:
"Survive the half day first, then survive the day."
I didn't have to conquer the entire rotation all at once. I just had to keep moving forward, one half day at a time.
As the days passed, the routines became familiar. My schedule became more manageable.
Treating pediatric patients became less intimidating and much more rewarding.
Even my relationship with my clinical instructor improved, we eventually became good friends.
By the end of that two-month rotation, what I had once considered the most difficult assignment of my internship became the most meaningful one. It even led me to decide that I want to pursue a career in pediatric physical therapy.
Looking back, I realized that if I had given up during those difficult first two weeks, I would
have missed one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.
The Lord was teaching me that perseverance doesn't mean never feeling tired or discouraged. It means choosing to keep moving forward with faith, one step at a time.
As I reflect on these experiences, from my mission to my college years, I have come to realize that the Lord was never trying to make my life more difficult.
Instead, He was helping me become someone better. He was teaching me patience while I waited upon
Him and perseverance as I continued moving forward despite challenges.
The Lord reminded the Prophet Joseph Smith while he was suffering in Liberty Jail:
"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee... if thou be cast into the deep... if fierce winds become thine enemy... if the heavens gather blackness... know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
Therefore, hold on thy way... for God shall be with you forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7β9.)
I love the Lord's question: "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou
greater than he?"
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, perfectly demonstrated both patience and perseverance. He patiently submitted to the Father's will, even when it meant suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross.
He persevered to the very end, completing the infinite Atonement so that each one of us could receive forgiveness, healing, strength, and hope.
Because Jesus Christ endured below all things, He perfectly understands every pain, disappointment, delay, trial, and burden that we experience. He knows how to strengthen us as we strive to patiently trust in God's timing and faithfully persevere through life's challenges.
My testimony is that as we develop these Christlike attributes of patience and perseverance, we become more like our Savior. Although our trials may not disappear immediately, He will give us the strength to endure them well.
He will walk beside us, lift us when we are weary, and help us continue forward with faith until His promised blessings are fulfilled.
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us and that His timing is always perfect.
As we patiently trust Him and faithfully persevere, we will see His hand in our lives and become the disciples He desires us to be.
I leave this testimony with you, in the sacred Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Nephi Marie Salatandre Torres | Dumaguete 1st, Dumaguete Stake
