Hear a story about perseverance:

There was a man, an ordinary man, in a coastal town. This town was a nice place, and people had families here. One day however, a great drought struck the land, and everyone in that town was suffering from that drought. Everyone tried to find the solution to this great drought, but to no avail.

Finally one day, the solution was found: There was a great treasure, far away from the town. It was accessible only by the ocean, and only by one man who was willing to sail for a thousand days, without saying a word. The ordinary man took upon the job, and as soon as he set sail for the treasure, the thousand days of sailing started, and so he could not say a single word for that length of time. The fate of the town was in his hands.

Day in and day out, the man sailed the high seas. Sometimes furious storms would come out of nowhere, and he would have to sail through them. Other times there would be no wind, and so he would be making no progress. But through all the trials, storms, and tough days of sailing, he finally made it to the treasure, after a thousand days of nonstop sailing, without saying a single word.

As he landed and started to the treasure, he saw a beautiful young woman standing nearby by herself. The man opened his mouth the speak to say-

But then he remembered his mission. He could not speak until he obtained the treasure to save his town. He closed his mouth and focused on the treasure to save his people. So, with all his willpower, and all his strength that he could possibly muster, he resisted the temptation to talk to this young woman and got to the treasure. As soon as he got the treasure, his town was saved and received rain.

This story shows the great victory at the end when we Christians persevere in our faith in Jesus Christ. Although the journey will have many trials, hard times, and persecutions, and even the final great temptation to fail in our mission in Christ, those who stand firm to the end to Jesus Christ will win life.

Grace and Peace from Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.