To preface this presentation I would like to quote from Introduction to Restoration from Part II of the Exposition of the Divine Principle:

The providence of restoration refers to God’s work to restore human beings to our original, unfallen state so that we may fulfill the purpose of creation. As discussed in Part I, human beings fell from the top of the growth stage and have been held under Satan’s dominion ever since. To restore human beings, God works to cut off Satan’s influence. Yet, as was explained in Christology, we must have the original sin removed before we can sever Satan’s bonds and be restored to the state before the Fall. This is possible only when we are born anew through the Messiah, the True Parents. To explain further: we first need to go through a course to separate Satan from ourselves. We do this in order to restore ourselves in form to the spiritual level which Adam and Eve had reached before the Fall -- the top of the growth stage. On this foundation, we are to receive the Messiah and be reborn, and thereby be fully restored to the original state of human beings before the Fall. Finally, by following the Messiah, we should continue our growth to maturity where we can fulfill the purpose of creation."

I would posit that the words "in form" are very crucial to understand the meaning of the following sentence -- "we do this in order to restore ourselves in form to the spiritual level which Adam and Eve had reached before the Fall." "In Form" is appropriate because in this case, the spiritual level accomplished is on an external or symbolic level, with the accompanying internal standard absolutely not in sync. I would also posit that the words "and thereby be fully restored" in the sentence "we are to receive the Messiah and be reborn, and thereby be fully restored to the original state of human beings before the Fall" is referring to gaining the substance counterpart to the "In Form" restoration of having no connection to Satan or sin which Adam and Eve had at the top of the growth stage prior to falling. I would also posit that this is not describing an immediate accomplishment.

In fact, from the onset of the process to the total accomplishment of being cleansed from all aspects of sin, in most cases, involves a very long time. This is because, though the Messiah can cut the root of sin or the original sin through the rebirth ceremony known as The Blessing, He does not clean up the remaining Collective, Hereditary and Personal Sins. The responsibility for those sins lies squarely in the hands of those who committed them. This is opposed to the cleansing of the sin of Adam and Eve that can only be accomplished by another Adam and Eve or the Messiah and His Bride. And it is not until the last remnant of the fall, evil or sin is eradicated in an individual that he or she can then be free to grow in the way God intended Adam and Eve to grow and to fulfill their purpose of creation. In fact, after rebirth, the remaining stage of the growing period, namely, the completion stage should more accurately be described as a spectrum, timeline and process through which these reborn individuals move on the way towards fulfilling their purpose of creation. Thus, the predominant experience of those individuals who pass through the process and ceremony of rebirth is that of restoration in the midst of a process of the fulfillment of the ideal. Consider the following quote from Part II of the Divine Principle, Section 1.2.2:

After receiving the Messiah and being restored to the position of the first human ancestors before their Fall, a path still remains to be trod: We must become one with the Messiah centered on the Heart of God, then follow him along the uncharted path to the summit of the growing period, and thus finally become perfect incarnations.

Not only that, but I would also posit that it is also only gradually and probably after a long period of time that succeeding generations issuing from these reborn individuals and also the greater society will become cleansed and separated from any remnant or influence of sin and evil. The process I am describing is a gradual movement of humanity towards the state where finally each child that is born will simply need to grow through the Three stages of growth and the Indirect Dominion and finally accomplish the Three Blessings or God’s Purpose of Creation. It is not that I am implying that this original course is easy. Not at all! I might liken it to the task of climbing Mt. Everest -- a daunting one indeed.

I would like to explain, though, that accomplishing the Purpose of Creation coupled with having to deal with the remnants of sin, fallen nature and evil is just so much more difficult -- perhaps similar to an individual attempting to climb Mt. Everest while carrying a 500 lb gorilla who doesn’t really want to accompany he or she but is somehow stuck to them and in addition, this creature is constantly beating upon this individual and the gorilla must absolutely be shed before the summit can be reached! Why does the Divine Principle barely explains the course of and following rebirth? I believe that this is due to the fact that the Divine Principle’s purpose is to bring humanity into the full recognition of and then faith in the Messiah -- Our True Parents. The course after that point of faith is to be explained and understood through the guidance of the True Parents. Certainly this course cannot be gleaned from the course Jesus walked since he could not bring both physical and spiritual salvation to humanity. In reality, the providence and understanding the 2nd Coming brings and unfolds leads us to a whole new world and course, one that, heretofore, has not been trod and really, can’t be easily fathomed by individuals in a fallen world apart from that guidance.

Based on the prior paragraph, I would like to go into more depth of the topic of "Blessing is Fulfilling the Purpose of Creation and also Restoration."

I have made it clear that all marriages are bound to have trouble. Then what is the essential uniqueness of a Blessed Marriage? At its core, the essence of a Blessed Marriage is that it comes on the foundation of the dissolution and elimination of the original sin. The importance of this cannot be undervalued or underestimated. Perhaps it is helpful to understand this great gift from the perspective of the removal of sin. Since the original sin was the initial point through which sin was introduced into humanity’s existence and sin is "a violation of heavenly law which is committed when a person forms a common base with Satan, thus setting a condition for give and take action with him" (from Chapter 2, section 4.5, page 72 Exposition of the Divine Principle) then it would follow that all sin must be eliminated in order for any person to completely move away from the realm of the fall. Yet, this one sin (original sin) can never be eliminated by the efforts of humanity, no matter how extreme.

Only the one who committed the original sin can eliminate it. This means that only a returning Adam or the Messiah can remove the original sin. So no matter how much progress a non-blessed individual may make to remove personal, hereditary and collective sin, they are prevented from completing the process; they are tethered to the realm of the fall, until their base of original sin is removed. That being the case, then the likelihood of repeating personal sin in the person’s life and lineage is very high.

Can you recognize the value of the Blessing now? Since the First Generation Blessing = Removal of Original Sin, a state that is then passed onto each succeeding generation that keeps the required standard of purity by also receiving the Blessing and not repeating the fall, then a Blessed individual’s life and their Blessed Marriage hold the potential for the real progressive advancement and dramatic realization of "God’s work to restore human beings to our original, un-fallen state so that we may fulfill the purpose of creation"(from Introduction to Restoration, page 176 Exposition of the Divine Principle).

I would even declare that the absolute purpose of the Blessing in this time of restoration is to create marriages that will focus on the business of accomplishing and completing the Process of Restoration, fulfilling the Three Blessings and accomplishing the Kingdom of God. Perhaps it will be clearer to say that Blessing holds out the possibility of effective, un-tethered and complete Restoration and Advancement towards becoming the Ideal Couple and Family. In other words, your efforts and investment in the growth and perfection of your relationship, your love, your couple, and family absolutely matter and can be effective. Of course, as in any endeavor involving human responsibility and effort, a couple’s / family’s effectiveness in relationship to this goal will be determined by that couple’s / family’s investment of heart, effort and wisdom.

Please understand that you will reap what you sow and also consider the agony present in the heart of God. Then welcome and work with gusto, unflagging energy and zeal towards accomplishing the Will of the Father. The amazing thing is that the fruit of such effort can be very great and can result in absolute progress towards the accomplished of that goal and the hope of Heaven.

From another perspective, I believe that since a Blessed marriage holds such hope for God and humanity, it becomes the focus of extensive and concentrated spiritual attention. From this perspective, a Blessed Marriage is apt to contain even more trouble than a non-blessed marriage. Life in a Blessed Marriage is sometimes like living in a pressure cooker and can at times be a life of concentrated trouble with the participants under great spiritual pressure. But please take heart, the rewards will ultimately be sweet and worth every minute of your suffering. Also, these Blessed Marriages have the greatest potential to comfort the Heart of God and to hasten the restoration of humanity by creating great merit for the age.

Well, in this case I have to refer to a quote from St. Paul from the book of I Corinthians, Chapter 7, starting with verse 8:

Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

The clear message that you must face squarely is that you will have trouble in your Blessing, in fact all marriages will have trouble. There are a few key reasons why this is so. One of them is due to the existence of sin and fallen nature. I was quite impressed by True Father’s clear explanation of the essence of sin, from the following speech -- "True Parents Day from the Historical Point of View" given in New York, 4/18/1977:

What kind of disease have you caught? The diagnosis is that fallen man has the disease of fallen love. It is the disease of love centered on Satan and controlled by Satan, and through it men and women have become prisoners of Satan by inheriting his lineage. All people are born as direct heirs of Satan. How did this disease of love start? The fall was initiated when one person claimed self-centered love. That person denied the value of all other relationships in his desire to make himself the center of the Universe. He sought to bring benefit only to himself, and when his desire entered the realm of love, the disease was begun. We must find a cure for this love disease. What medicine should be prescribed? Because self-centered love brought the fall, we must find a God-centered or unselfish love in order to be cured or restored…

Is this true for those who are dwelling in the realm of sin without the benefit of the removal of original sin, those whose marriage involves the removal of Original Sin and those who are Blessed on the foundation of such couples of rebirth? The answer is yes and lies in the understanding that until all remnants of sin and fallen nature in the descendants of fallen Adam and Eve -- at least personal and hereditary sin are eliminated we will not be free of its influence. That is, until collective, cultural and social expressions of sin and fallen nature on all levels and reaching to the very beginnings of humanities life on this globe, from the individual, family, tribe, society, nation, world to the cosmos are removed, the process of Restoration will not be finished nor can the Kingdom of Heaven be established.

Also, just as an aside, the cleansing of sin occurs on two dimensions. The first is the resolving of the heartistic impact / remembrance of the sin that is held in the relationship between the sinner and those sinned against. This resolution takes place through the sacrament of forgiveness on the part of the one who was impacted by the sinner (was sinned against or whose heart and trust was betrayed).

The second is in the replacing of the elements / impact / results of sin in the sinner’s spirit self, character, mind and heart. In other words, the evil elements must be replaced with the positive, good elements based on correct, good actions, emotions, willfulness and heart. Let me say this again, until the realm of sin is ultimately, completely and irrevocably eliminated, the process of fulfilling the Purpose of Creation cannot be totally and finally accomplished. Take a minute and jot down all the elements of sin, fallen nature, wrong action, selfish and self-firstness that might be possible targets of restoration in your individual, hereditary and collective lives? Now, consider those problems within your couple -- either current or yet to be. I suspect that the list, if honestly transcribed and recorded, will be quite complex and extensive.

Since the fight against sin and process for the elimination of sin is brought right smack dab into the center of any marriage, do you think there will be difficulty and trouble? Absolutely! There will be trouble within the man and within the woman and also, trouble between the couple. This trouble will take many forms. It can be reflective of past trouble between similar couples that weren’t restored, it can be the inability of men and women to get beyond their individual perspective (self-firstness) to honor and understand their spouse. This goes way beyond the inherent difficulty of any individual to comprehend the nature of the opposite gender -- a dynamic that I believe will remain long after sin is conquered. Other expressions of difficulty might be based on gross immaturity and addictions within either of the spouses. In international Blessings, it can be based on the great cultural divide and differences between each of the spouses’ families of origin. It can also be influenced by any conflicts or wars that occurred between the spouses’ nations of origin. Then there is the influence of the Spirit World ... and the list goes on.

Let me go into a little more in depth into the concept of Restoration. The first reference I found was in Exposition of the Divine Principle Chapter 2, Section 4.1,page 69:

The Kingdom of Heaven on earth is a restored world in which Satan can no longer instigate any activity. To realize this world, it is necessary for all humanity to eliminate their common base with Satan, restore their common base with God, and engage in give and take action with Him… In order to eliminate our common base with Satan and be capable of judging him, we must understand the identity and crime of Satan and accuse him before God."… Of their own free will, human beings are to bring Satan to voluntary submission by upholding the Word of God through fulfilling their responsibility. Only in this way can we be restored to the original ideal purposed by God at the creation."

The Chapter on Resurrection in Exposition of the Divine Principle, Section 1.3, page 137 states the following:

Resurrection may be defined as the process of being restored from the death caused by the Fall to life, from the realm of Satan’s dominion to the realm of God’s direct dominion, through the providence of restoration. Accordingly, whenever we repent of our sins and rise to a higher state of goodness, we are resurrected to that degree.

That same chapter, section 2.1, page 138 explains how God carries out his work of resurrection:

First, in the history of the providence of resurrection, many of those who were entrusted with a mission exerted themselves with utmost sincerity and faith to realize the Will of Heaven. Even though they may not have fully carried out their responsibilities, based on their devotion, they broadened the foundation upon which subsequent generations can form a relationship of heart with God. We call this foundation the merit of the age in the providence of restoration. The merit of the age has increased in proportion to the foundation of heart laid by the prophets, sages and righteous people who came before us. Therefore, resurrection is carried out based on the merit of the age. Second, according to the Principle of Creation, it was God’s responsibility to create human beings and to give them His word, while it was the human portion of responsibility to reach perfection by believing in and living according to it. Similarly, in conducting the providence of resurrection, God’s responsibility is to give us His Word and guidance, and our responsibility is to believe and practice it in order to fulfill the providence. Third, according to the Principle of Creation, a person’s spirit can grow to perfection only through the physical self. Likewise, in the providence of resurrection, the resurrection of a spirit can be achieved only through earthly life. Fourth, according to the Principle of Creation, a person is meant to reach perfection through the three ordered stages of the growing period. Therefore, the providence of resurrection for fallen people is also to be completed through three ordered stages, manifested as three ages in the providence of restoration.

This is further developed in Chapter 6, (Restoration), section 1.1, on pages 176-178:

How does God separate Satan from fallen people who stand in the midway position? Satan relates with them on the basis of his connection with them through lineage. Therefore, until people make a condition through which God can claim them as His own, there is no way God can restore them to the heavenly side… What, then is the meaning of restoration through indemnity? When someone has lost his original position or state, he must make some condition to be restored to it. The making of such conditions of restitution is called indemnity… The first is to fulfill a condition of equal indemnity… The second is to make a condition of lesser indemnity… The third is to make a condition of greater indemnity…. Next, let us study the method of fulfilling indemnity conditions. For anyone to be restored to the original position or state from which he fell, he must make an indemnity condition by reversing the course of his mistake… Who should make indemnity conditions?…To escape from Satan’s domination and be restored to the state where we rule over him, we ourselves must fulfill the necessary indemnity conditions as our portion of responsibility.

To get a fuller picture, I also found a few quotes from True Father’s speeches that speak to this issue:

From "The Complete Liquidation of the Dispensation of Restoration", June 7th, 1992:

Then, what is the Fall of Man? The Fall of Man made the establishment of the Four Position Foundation impossible. Thus we must indemnify the Fall and completely liquidate it. We have to start all over again. We must start over again and indemnify the past mistakes. The American people and all Western people do not understand the concept of indemnity clearly. Why does God want man to suffer so much? It is not fair! We are strong people and we disagree with it. However, if the Western people refuse to live by the principle of indemnity, they will perish. We have to reverse the course of history and only through indemnity can we accomplish that. Mankind (we) can not continue the usual way of life. The big question here is "how can I deny my false way of life? Unless I find a way to change my false way of life, I will perish. Without changing our way of life, we cannot go back to God. The only way back to God is through the zero point, we must go back to the beginning.

I also found the following quote from True Father’s speech, "Liquidation or The Completion of the Dispensation of Salvation", June 7, 1992:

The remedy is to go backwards. If you have done something wrong, you have to correct it. If you have been using drugs, you have to stop using drugs; if you have been engaging in free sex, you have to stop such activity. Indemnity is the reverse way, and it is something which America and the Western world needs very badly. This world cannot go on the way it is going now. To discover how to deny and to negate the direction it is headed in today is a very important task for us. Otherwise, we cannot accomplish the will of God. To liberate hell, we must go the same way. To solve the individual problem of good and evil is difficult enough, but to move hell itself and liberate it is so much more difficult. It is easy to say the words, but how difficult it is to do it! ... In that kind of hopeless world, someone bigger is reigning over each person. That is Satan, striding right above each person, telling him what to do, "Do this, do that. No matter how hard you try, you cannot win over me. I am stronger." You all think about yourselves first, don’t you? That is Satan. You should think, "my way of thinking about me first is from Satan." Then we have to ruthlessly contain ourselves, "No, no, don’t think about myself." We have to deny ourselves, turning ourselves upside down. It is like standing on our head, with our feet in the air. Nobody is comfortable with such a drastic change. Nobody wants that, especially when they don’t understand it.

Are you getting the picture?

So the clear answer is that Restoration is the Providence of separation from the realm, influence and taint of sin as well as the Providence to make a foundation for the Messiah. And the part of the Providence of Restoration involving the separation and elimination of all expressions and forms of sin is a job that most of us are not quite done with, even after we are Blessed.

There will be trouble because of the method and nature of restoration / re-creation. Trouble and difficulty is inherent in the process -- in other words, this is no easy task but a cumbersome, tedious process that must take place substantially. This process is going on constantly in the lives of each individual and couple.

It might help to remind ourselves of the original the principles by which a spirit self grows and consequently is re-born and re-grows up. My purpose in bringing this up is to underscore that the process of restoration has a substantial component or that it is just not a "mental or intellectual" process. Furthermore, being reminded of this process should underscore that the healing process is just that, a process in time.

It is a substantial process that involves literally changing the spiritual cells and substance of your spiritual body. It is the design of this creation by God, that He created two dimensions of the cosmos, one incorporeal and one corporeal. Both of these dimensions are substantial but each is designed to fulfill a different function and purpose.

Just as there are two substantial dimensions created by God, so humanity is created with two vessels that relate and interact with these dimensions. These two vessels are called the Physical Self and the Spirit Self. The Physical Self consists of a physical body (made up of the substance and elements of the corporeal dimension, such as a slow, dense dimension of energy, matter, DNA, genetics and various systems and processes) and a physical mind -- a internal directing consciousness concerned with maintaining the functions of the physical body. The Spirit Self consists of a spiritual body (made up of the elements and substance of the incorporeal world, a less dense dimension of energy not so limited by time and space as is the corporal world and that looks similar in shape and form to the physical body) and a spiritual mind (which can be likened to the mind, heart and soul of a human being).

Let us also examine the fundamental relationship between the concept of growth and God’s purpose in creating the two realms of corporeal and incorporeal. In simplest terms, the corporal world is humanity’s growing place while the incorporeal domain is humanity’s eternal dwelling place or where we are meant to live forever. For this to be accomplished, God set into place the following principle -- that the Spirit Self can only grown on the foundation and through the interaction with the Physical Self and while dwelling in the corporeal world.

Essentially, when a child is born, he / she come into this world with a young, immature, undeveloped physical body / physical mind and a young, immature, undeveloped spirit body / spirit mind which initially comes from God and at birth is bonded to the physical body / physical mind which acts like a landing pad or base for the spirit self. After birth, the process of growth begins and is accomplished through the interaction or give and take between the Physical Self (and by extension the corporal world) and the Spirit Self (and by extension the incorporeal world). It is quite crucial to emphasize that the Spirit Self can only grow while it is connected to a Physical Self that resides in the corporal world. From Section 6.3.2, from pages 48 -- 49 the following section underscores this crucial principle.

The spirit can grow only while it abides in the flesh. Thus, the relationship between the physical self and the spirit self is similar to that between a tree and its fruit… It can be inferred from the above that the spirit self can attain perfection only during a person’s earthly life."

Based on the preceding paragraphs, I would now like to speak about the actual dynamics and process of interaction that must occur within the corporeal and incorporeal worlds with and between the physical self and spirit self to result in the development or growth of the spirit self towards perfection and the Three Blessings.

The process involves the Physical Self or the Spirit Self receiving elements, having give and take with those elements and absorbing of those elements. The result of that process is an actual, substantial, developmental, quantitative and qualitative change in the Physical Self and the Spirit Self or growth / change. The elements that the Physical Self receives include air, sunlight (intangible or yang types of nourishment), food and water (tangible or yin types of nourishment) and a third element, called living spirit elements that move from the Spirit Self to the Physical Self and forms the life connection between the Physical Self and the Spirit Self.

The elements that the Spirit Self receives include life elements (intangible or yang types of nourishment) and vitality elements (tangible or yin types of nourishment). Life Elements are those elements that are intangibles such as thought, words, emotions, feelings and will -- which we relate to with our Spirit Mind / Heart. The Physical Self produces vitality elements through its actions as directed by the Spirit Mind. These are then absorbed by the Spirit Self and end up building up the spiritual cells, tissue and actual substance of that Spirit Self.

A most central and key point is that the types of elements that are absorbed determine the health and goodness of the resultant entity. So if the Physical Self absorbs unhealthy food, water, air, light, mental and spirit self-elements (such as evil, negative intentions and directions) then the resultant Physical Self will be unhealthy, evil, deformed and stunted. However, if that Physical Self absorbs wholesome and healthy food, water, air, light, mental, emotional, loving and spirit self-elements that the resultant Physical Self will be good, healthy and vibrant.

Likewise, if the Spirit Self absorbs unhealthy words, thoughts, spiritual elements, evil intentions, emotions, and hate and if the Physical Self does evil actions and deeds then the resultant Spirit Self will be unhealthy, evil, stunted, crippled, deformed and ugly. However, if the Spirit Self absorbs healthful and Godly Words and Truth, Spirit and Love and if the Physical Self does good deeds and loving actions then the resultant Spirit Self will be healthy, vibrant, powerful, dynamic and beautiful.

If a Spirit Self receives and absorbs wholesome and Godly elements over time, they result in an actual substantial change and development in the Spirit Self. This process is how an individual "accumulates" or shows the day-to-day effort and actions of their life. The fruit of their words, deeds and heartistic realities are reflected in the substance and quality of their Physical Self and Spirit Self. You literally are what you eat, drink, breath, think, do and feel. The Divine Principle describes the good developmental process of the Spirit Self in Three Stages with the final goal being Perfection or the First Blessing. Those stages are that of a form spirit, a life spirit and a divine spirit. Exposition of the Divine Principle Section 6.3.2 , pages 49, describes this process:

It can be inferred from the above that the spirit self can attain perfection only during a person’s earthly. The spirit mind guides the spirit self as it grows in the soil of the physical self. The growth of the spirit self toward perfection progresses through the three orderly stages ordained by the Principle of Creation. A spirit in the formation stage of life is called a form spirit; in the growth stage, a life spirit; and in the completion stage a divine spirit. A spirit fully matures as a divine spirit when the person’s spirit self and physical self unite through perfect give and take action centered on God and form the four position foundation.

From the Bible, the Book of Galatians 5:16-24 describes this dynamic very well:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. No the works of the flesh are plain; fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealously, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.

Now since the process of restoration is actually the process of re-creation the method to resolve personal sin uses the original principles of creation, especially as pertains to growth, to deal with these subsequently acquired elements of evil, fallen nature and sin. These now spiritually deformed individuals, those person and lineages that committed sins, must go a course in the midst of time (that may take quite a while) to reverse evil, they must go through the process of paying indemnity for past mistakes and replace evil with correct actions. Then they must also change their lifestyle so as to live in a positive or Godly way or continually do good actions so as to ingest good vitality elements. In other words, the evil must be undone and replaced with right, loving, selfless and Godly substantial actions.

This is a slow, tedious and substantial process. Not only that, but the fallen nature that pushed a person to commit those personal sins -- the nature that can be condensed down to the simple concept of selfishness and self-firstness will try to reassert itself for a very long time. I do need to point out that, the one personal sin that cannot be restored by this approach would be the committing of illicit love or repeating the Fall -- this mistake can only be restored by the Blessing of True Parents.

Based on our understanding of the process to remove personal sin, our understanding of the resolution of hereditary sin can be built. Basically, the resolution of hereditary sin involves the same processes utilized in the resolution of personal sin -- reversal, indemnity and correct action, nature and heart -- but it must also utilize the principles of returning resurrection. The whole process can be likened to the elimination and the reversal of personal sin for each and every individual’s ancestor -- going back to the beginning (though stopping short of Adam and Eve -- that is the responsibility of the new Adam and Eve only).

The unique aspect of this resolution is that it needs to be done in cooperation with descendants living in the corporal world. This is because, as explained in the section of resurrection which deals with principle of returning resurrection, all change or growth to a spirit self must be done on the foundation of the physical body in order that the spirit self can gain the required vitality elements necessary for growth and change. ("Third, according to the Principle of Creation, a person’s spirit can grow to perfection only through the physical self. Likewise, in the providence of resurrection, the resurrection of a spirit can be achieved only through earthly life.")

The process can be compared to a parent vicariously living their life through their children. In the process of returning resurrection, restoration of an individual’s mistakes and sins done during their earthly lives must be undone and then correctly re-done vicariously through their connection to and cooperation with living descendants or human beings living in the corporal world. One way this is done is by those descendants living in the corporal world resisting and then doing correct actions in the reverse of every evil tendencies, motivations, nature, heart and actions committed by their ancestor.

It is precisely because of this principle that I understand there to be a limit to returning resurrection being accomplished just by liberating ancestors. This process can certainly help, but eventually those ancestors have to change by undoing the evil and doing good vicariously (and eventually fulfilling the Three Blessings) with the help of their descendants or earthbound humanity. Of course, somewhere in the process, they absolutely need to receive the Blessing.

Well, lets get back to the main theme (in fact the prior section can be considered an appendix and briefly reviewed -- it is not necessary to take a lot of time to review the content -- the key point is that just as the original growth process is a substantial one in the midst of the dimension of time, so is the re-growth process). Another key reason that trouble will exist within our Blessings is the fact that our Blessings take place prior to each of us accomplishing our 1st Blessing and so, actually, our Blessings are out of the Order originally prescribed by the Principle. Let me share one section of Linna Rapkins’s "Stories of True Parents" describing the blessing of the first three couples:

He talked about many things, but after awhile he started talking about perfection. "If you give up everything you own and work as hard as you can and get hardly any sleep and are absolutely, you MIGHT become perfect in about 70 years," he said. "Furthermore, that could only happen if you had been a good person all your life and if your ancestors were good people, as well."… Father continued, "And you know by now that becoming perfect yourself is the first blessing, and getting married is the second blessing. If you are married before you are perfected as an individual, your marriage will have many problems. Ahl-ah-yo? (Do you understand?) … But, we have a problem here," said Father. "If we wait until you are fully perfected, no one will every get married while on earth, at least not until you’re too old to have children. Yet Heavenly Father cannot be happy until he has blessed families all around him." This appeared to be an impossible situation. You have to be perfect to be married, but God can’t be happy if you aren’t blessed in marriage. Father’s eves focused on one person and then another as he looked around the room to see if they understood. "So," he continued, "Heavenly Father wants a few of you to be blessed now."

Now, think about this for a moment. Why would this "out of orderness" cause trouble in a Blessing? Immediately, what comes to mind is that the individuals in such a marriage are handicapped by their lack of maturity and certain key and essential spiritual, emotional and mental tools and abilities. For example, they would lack the full connection to the Love of God that is needed for any individual to truly be able to love and cherish the other. They would also lack the ability to see all situations from God’s point of view and thus to be less able to make discerning and correct assessments of any given situation. They would lack wisdom and compassion and instead would probably often be full of judgment due to their a pea-sized spiritual heart. They would lack the emotional stability, mental sharpness, self-control and skill / practice / expertise of being able to fulfill their portion of responsibility all the time. Surely such abilities are crucial for the development of true success and joy in any relationship and especially in that most central relationship called marriage. And yet, most of us come into our blessings with a very small bank account of individual merit and maturity that we can draw upon. Is it a wonder that such dysfunctional people end up creating dysfunctional marriages?

Lets get back to the Good News!

The Blessing is a Providence to initiate the realm of the Second Blessing, at least conditionally and initially in form. This means that it represents the establishment and development of the institution of Marriage. This also means that, finally, after the long history of Restoration, God can recognize your Marriage. What a phenomenal value is contained in the Blessing! Such a statement would then imply that all marriages prior to the Blessing are not actually allowed or authorized by God. This is also a phenomenal statement. Indeed, when we look at the History of the Providence of Restoration we can see that this is the case, that the focal point of that Providence was for individuals to make the proper foundation to welcome the Messiah. It was not a providence of holy families, but rather one of holy men and women within, but often opposed to families who were working to advance the Providence of Heaven. The Bible speaks to this point. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 20: 27 - 36 Jesus was asked about the following situation:

There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife and died without children; and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife. And Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

There is also the famous passage from St. Paul on the topic of marriage from the book of I Corinthians, Chapter 7, starting with verse 8:

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion… Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress, it is well for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord, but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord…So that he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better."

Well, are you ready for the best good news yet? I thought so -- The greatest good news is that, even with all the disadvantages that are probable to appear in marriages in general and the Blessings in particular there is hope for success. I want to re-emphasize that there is hope for each couple to get beyond the troubles currently inherent in marriages and to be able to create successful, prosperous and ideal marriages. And anyway, what is the purpose of the Blessing?

It is the place where we learn to love, become and help our spouses (and of course children) fulfill the first Blessing and eventually, be able to actually and fully realize and fulfill the purpose of the second Blessing -- as a couple perfectly resembling the duality and unity of God, we can be bound in the fullest way with our Heavenly Parent in eternal love and joy. It also becomes the base by which we help God in the realization of the extended Second Blessing -- the Kingdom of God on Earth and then in the Spirit World. Perhaps, our second generation relate to this hope in a very profound way -- I don’t bring up the idea of dealing with sin to depress you but to just provide a fuller picture of all the dimensions and reality of the Blessing. However, I would encourage each of you to place the greater emphasis on the possibility of fulfilling this ideal of the Three Blessings. Absolutely, emphasize the positive for it is from this that you will be empowered and supported in the process.

Let me offer 4 great tools that can be helpful in this transformation process. Let me summarize these 4 tools in the following way.

You need to have faith in, know, and understand the Truth.

You need to cultivate a deep and vibrant relationship with God.

You need to continue working on your growth to perfection even after you receive the Blessing.

You also need to center yourself on the tremendous Ideal that is gifted to humanity through the understanding of the purpose of creation.

Apply these tools to life and you can surely advance towards accomplishing success in your individual life and your family life.

First, know, understand and have faith in the Truth. Francis Bacon once said "Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est" or knowledge is power. Indeed, knowing the Word of God is so important. To understand that the true course of life is one of Restoration and to understand those Principles of the Restoration is such a gift. Knowledge of the original cause and nature of sin can allow us to protect ourselves from repeating the horrific past mistakes of history. With such a clear understanding of the Process of the Fall and nature of sin, there is the potential for us to recognize patterns of behavior that must be avoided at all costs. Also, knowing the original cause of humanities’ sickness can allows effective cures to be gleaned and applied. Additionally, I believe the clear understanding of the Purpose of Creation as expressed through the Three Blessing is one of the most amazing gifts given to humankind.

But knowledge of the Truth is not enough; it must be coupled with a deep and abiding faith in that Truth and the source of that Truth. Faith is a difficult thing to define, but I believe it can be likened to a heartistic and soulful response and affinity to the Word wherein you know / trust to the depth of your being that it is true and of God and are willing to act based on that response without regard to any time limit. It becomes your number one priority, your reference point and is what drives you forward throughout your life.

From the point of the awakening of faith forward, you are eternally committed to live, act and have your whole spirit and being centered on the content and reality revealed by those Words. Faith might be described as putting your spiritual muscle where your mouth is -- it’s a whole spirit acknowledgement instead of just mental recognition. Certainly such a hearkening to those Words is essential and required for us to utilize those Words and is one of those qualities that must be freely given from humanity. Perhaps we can describe it as the heart filled response, recognition and hearkening to the Presence of God shinning through His Revelation. The Book of Hebrews describes it in Chapter 11, verses 1-3:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not see. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.

The deepest and most abiding faith, I believe, must emanate from your original mind -- as opposed to the conscience. According to Exposition of the Divine Principle section 6.3.3 of the Principle of Creation (page 50-51), the conscience is a faculty within each human beings spirit or mind that directs them towards doing what they believe to be good and right.

The conscience is that faculty of the human mind which, by virtue of its inborn nature, always directs us toward what we think is good… The original mind is that faculty of the human mind which pursues absolute goodness. It relates to the conscience as internal nature to external form. A person’s conscience directs him to pursue goodness according to the standard which he has set up in ignorance, even thought it may differ from the original standard. However, the original mind, being sensitive to the proper direction, repels this faulty standard and works to correct the conscience.

The Original Mind is, however, is the faculty of the human spirit or mind that knows absolute goodness and pursues it. The Original Mind, as the word original implies, is that part of the Spirit Self that retains the ability to link directly with the Spirit of God and where the sense and knowledge of the original ideal of God (the Commandment, the Three Blessings, the Logos, the Principles of God, and True Love) remains. I often envision it as the place we go to in our spirit / mind when we are checking to see if our current realities are right and good.

For example, for those of us who were born into a less than perfect family, how did we know that our physical parents were not absolutely good? On what basis or gauge did we judge or criticize them -- what internal standard were we comparing them to? I would suggest that we are subconsciously comparing our life’s experience to the ideal by checking in with our Original Mind. A child doesn’t have to be told that something is lacking when they are not given enough love by their parents -- they just know they are missing something that is their entitlement. I call that internal source of mind and heart that resides in the depth of our soul that we go to on a very subconscious and intuitive level our Original Mind.

It is the place where we are able to resonate our internal tuning fork on the same frequency with God. It is our original compass and we were created to be guided by it. In one sense, it could be called our original programming. For example, when I was about age 12 or 13, I had a mystical encounter with the Living God. In that experience, some place deep within my spirit exploded with joy and I was enraptured and in bliss and I knew that I was created to always be in a full relationship with that Being. I just knew and from that time I also knew that nothing else was more important in life that being one with my God. What part of me knew that? What part of me responded to meeting my God with such a gut level sense that this was where I was created to be and with such overwhelming happiness and joy? I knew, felt and my heart was full of the understanding that this was what I was created for -- to be one with God. That place that I was responding from is what I call the Original Mind. I would suggest that the truest basis of faith occurs when our soul checks to see if the reality we are encountering agrees with the content of our Original Mind and if so, then, and only then, commits to that reality.

The formula for successful spiritual growth needs the two elements of the Word and Faith in the Word. The combination of the Word and Faith in the Word is a potent one. The Principle is clear that such a combination is required to both resist evil and sin and to accomplish or fulfill the Purpose of Creation. From Exposition of the Divine Principle Chapter 2, Section 3.2, pages 66-67 we find the following guidance:

In their immature state, Adam and Eve could not be directly governed by God though love. Because the power of love is stronger than the power of the Principle, God foresaw that if they ever formed a common base with the Archangel, there was a possibility that they could succumb to the power of deviant, unprincipled love and fall. To prevent this, God gave Adam and Eve the commandment that forbade them from relating with the Archangel in this way. No matter how powerful, the unprincipled love of the Archangel might be, had Adam and Eve adhered to God’s commandment, forming a common base with God and engaging in give and take with Him and no other, the power of the Archangel’s unprincipled love would not have affected them and they would never have fallen… It was not only to prevent their fall that God gave immature human beings the commandment. God also wanted them to enjoy dominion over the natural world -- including the angels -- by inheriting His creative nature. In order to inherit this creatorship, human beings should perfect themselves through their faith in the Word as their own portion of responsibility.

Perhaps a key point here is that, in our immature state and while growing through the indirect dominion, God cannot govern us through His love because our hearts are unable to grasp and respond to His Love. Instead, God guides us through the Truth and as our spiritual essence develops through following the truth we become more and more heartistically able to be governed by His love. Perhaps we can liken it to the inability of a child to truly grasp the love his or her parents feel for them -- that ability to respond heart to heart develops as the child matures. However, since the core essence of God is Heart and Love, He ultimately wishes that our relationship with Him be totally rooted and governed at the level of that Heart and Love. The key point is that only through embodying the perfection based on the Principle, will have the maturity of Heart that will enable us to be governed by God in such a way. You could say, for us to be able to "get it", for the fog to lift and for us to see clearly and sharply, we have to be mature and not only that, but to have arrived there based on our fulfilling our portion of responsibility. Perhaps another way to describe faith is that it is the response from humanity that allows us to connect to that purpose and plan of God and thus be empowered to fulfill our portion of responsibility. From the Exposition of the Divine Principle, Chapter 1, Section 5.2.2, page 43, the essence of the Indirect Dominion is described:

During the growing period, all beings in the creation grow by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. God, the Author of the Principle, as regard only for the fruits of their growth which are based on the Principle. In this way, He governs all things indirectly. We call this growing period the realm of God’s indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments through the Principle. All things reach perfection after passing through the growing period (the realm of indirect dominion) by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. Human beings, however, are created in such a way that their growth requires the fulfillment of their own portion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the Principle. They must exercise this responsibility in order to pass successfully through the growing period and reach perfection

Remember, this is a spiritual fight, as is well documented in the following passage from the Book of Ephesians, Chapter 6: 10-20. This fight cannot be won solely based on the power of the mind. It needs strong spiritual conviction and protection for defensive and offensive efforts to be effective:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; beside all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my moth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

I have found an amazing quote from a question and answer session with Our True Father that was given during his visit to the United States in 1965. This particular section is entitled "The Master Speaks on Satan, The Fall, and Evil." In it, he does clarify that we can meet with and speak to God throughout the Indirect Dominion. This confirms to me that the ability to sense and be in touch with the Love of God develops over time and on the basis of our growth through the Principle.

Question: Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Were they told in the same way in which our Master was told the Divine Principle, by having an even conscience -- that is, on a level- -- and then establishing a vertical contact with God? If not, then how were they told? They were in the Indirect Dominion; and God did not tell them directly, did He?

Answer: The 90 degree angle was not necessary for Adam. It is only necessary for us because we are under satanic domination, so we have to have an even conscience to receive God’s thought. It did not apply to Adam. The command not to eat of the fruit was given to Adam directly. It did not violate the Indirect Dominion. The Direct Dominion of God implies the Direct Dominion of man’s love by God. Apart from this love, God could teach them directly, even in their Growth Stage. He could give the command directly, but He could not interfere or have dominion over Adam and Eve's love directly. If Adam and Eve had asked God whether they should respond to Lucifer, then God could have told them directly. When I said that I make a condition beforehand, I mean that I always ask God if it is all right to offer my offering. Then God is responsible to answer. But Adam and Eve did not ask God. So in the indirect dominion, if you ask God, He has to tell you. But God cannot control human love. That happens only in the Direct Dominion.

Question: What do you mean by "control human love?"

Answer: During the time when children are growing, they do not know love. These days, children see through TV and through parents, they see the love affair before they really mature and sense by themselves. In Adam and Eve’s case, they had nothing to see. They did not know about sexual love. As long as they didn’t know anything about it, God could not teach them. God had to wait until they matured and knew something about it before they could come under His Direct Dominion. Until that time, God could not tell them, "Don’t do this. Don’t have a sexual relationship with Lucifer." Through natural growth and development, they would have matured and learned to know of love. Then God could have blessed them in marriage. They were just to grow naturally, and when they reached the point when they came to know one another, then God wanted to bless them. It is different from the state of children today. They know things before they actually mature. So Direct Dominion means direct control of their love by His love. In all other things, God could give them a direct command, but not about love relationships. Lucifer knew about sexual love before Adam and Eve were aware of it. He was not told this directly, but knew it in his heart."… If I told you what they were told, it would not be good. This information is not written anywhere, and if I say it now what I say will spread. Even though God told them fairly clearly, Adam and Eve did not take it seriously. God said, "Don’t respond to Lucifer’s temptation. Don’t love him." But those things did not sound serious to them. When one is too young and is not aware of things, some commands do not make sense. You cannot tell things too early. But the angel knew.

There is another reason why God seemed to be absent during this crucial time in Adam and Eve’s live and perhaps in ours. It is because man’s portion of responsibility must be exercised in the environment of freedom of will. Essentially mankind must willing participate in the process towards and the final accomplishment of Perfection and additionally, must be able to navigate and grow without exception through the potentially difficult path towards that Perfection without fail. We may often feel alone in this journey because God, to ensure the sanctity of the Crown of Co-Creatorship, cannot interfere with human responsibility. But, as Father is pointing out, if Adam and Eve had sought out God’s counsel, he absolutely could have answered. And so, I believe, it is with us.

Which brings me to the second dimension of faith. That is the need for us to have faith in God and connect to God in addition to having faith in His Word. What would be the value of being connect to God (besides the fact that there is nothing so blissful and sweet in the world than to be in His presence and Love)? What immediately comes to mind is the benefit of being able to see any given situation from the most comprehensive and clear perspective -- God’s Point of View. This would be the opposite from the first fallen nature of failure to see from God’s Point of View. A second that comes to mind is that being in a close relationship with God is so sweet that we would, without hesitation and from our very soul, be strongly motivated to follow and utilize His Principles. Ultimately, I believe that such a vital relationship with God can afford us much protection and empowerment along our path to perfection. So, at the top of the list of things you need to do to be able to be successful in life and in your Blessing is to develop a real, deep, loving connection to our Heavenly Father. Remember that you must earnestly ask, knock and seek for Your God and at your outreach doors will be opened and opportunities will make themselves available to you to develop this most essential relationship.

The third and fourth tool is that you need is to continue working on your growth to perfection even after you receive the Blessing. You also can benefit greatly by utilize the tremendous Ideal that is gifted to humanity through the understanding of the purpose of creation.

First, never forget that at all times in your Blessed life, you must also continue to strive towards accomplishing your first Blessing. In addition, after being Blessed, you are responsible to encourage and support your spouse’s and then your children’s efforts to fulfill their first Blessing. By doing this you will ultimately be contributing to the success of your Blessing.

Let me share from Davelin Popov, of the "Family Virtues Guide" and "A Pace of Grace"

Spiritual companioning requires the awareness that we cannot keep each other happy but we can keep each other company. We can only walk beside one another in the journey of life. We cannot control one another nor do the spiritual work of the other in our relationship. The purpose of spiritual companioning is to help one another empty our cups and get to the heart of the matter. We do this by asking cup-emptying questions starting with "What", "when", and "how" -- never "why", which puts each other on the defensive.

And also from Mehri Sefidvash, Coral and Pearls, page 26-27:

Respect means wanting the other person to grow and develop into what he is and can be. Respect automatically excludes exploitation and selfish expectations. To have respect for a person we love means having the desire that he should grow and develop according to his own wishes and his own capabilities, and not just because this is useful for us.

And also from Linda Kavelin Popov, The Family Virtues Guide, p.3:

Virtue is sometimes associated with perfectionism. When it comes to human beings, to be perfect does not mean to be flawless. It means to be whole and complete. Part of the completeness of being spiritually alive and aware is to accept our flaws, our mistakes and our failings as teachable opportunities which can bring us new learning. It is in working with the virtues which we have over- or underdeveloped that we find the energy for new growth. Live is not about being perfect. It is about perfecting or cultivating our virtues. Perfection is the process of bringing our gifts to fruition.

So, constantly keep up the pressure and commitment to spiritual growth and perfection for yourself, your spouse and your children. And finally, through the Divine Principle’s clear explanation of the Purpose of Creation we have been given a tremendous illuminating gift and spiritual tool. I am sure that most of you have friends, contacts or even family that are completely confused and unclear about their purpose or even if there is a purpose of life. Yet without a purpose to live by and for, the latent potential of every human being remains just that -- latent potential.

Montaigne is quoted as saying: "The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a purpose. Washington Irving said "Great minds have purposes, others have wishes." Napoleon Hill, writing in the classic Think and Grow Rich, said that having a purpose was so important to success that people would have a different (and better) story to tell about their lives "if only they would adopt a definite purpose, and stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming obsession!"

Also, from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man / woman could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

So, utilize the great understanding that our purpose is to fulfill the Three Blessings to aid your efforts on this great and difficult journey. The three blessing can be utilized as a compass and beacon or guiding light when our journey takes us through foggy and murky circumstances. Reflecting on it can remind us of our goal and destination and the hope, beauty, joy and love that will be our Sabbath. This great wisdom can bring peace and joy to our soul, as well as nourish us and us strength. Latch onto it and anchor your soul in its promise. Also use it as fuel to inspire you to reach for the stars and the great vision and promise of God.

In addition, the Three Blessings can provide a sure standard and gauge to which we can compare our present state and to illuminate the difference between the future hope and our present reality. If used correctly, it can help us clearly see and admit to our shortcomings and open us to the required right actions and heart that needs to be urgently adopted and practiced if we are to fulfill those Three Blessing. We should be careful that we apply this approach primarily to ourselves and do not use our knowledge of the Three Blessings as a way to judge and separate from others. If we must discern or judge, then make the proportion of judgment something like this -- 9 parts love to 1 part judgment. It is wise to remember that when a person points a finger in the direction of a wrong, he or she also has three other fingers are pointing back at themselves.

One other point, since we now have the beginnings of the tradition of accomplishment and the development of a momentum of goodness (something that Adam and Eve did not have but were suppose to develop for all future generations), please utilize this blossoming community of faith to support you in your efforts to accomplish the Three Blessings. This is another valuable tool that cannot be underestimated. Also, utilizing the principle of "pay it forward", as each of you gain victories in your family lives, please give support, wisdom and love to others and encourage them on their path.

I hope the preceding content can have awakened in you both a clear awareness of the true nature of the path that stretches out ahead of you but also has encouraged you to welcome with enthusiasm and hope both the challenges and joys that will fill that path. It is so worth it! We truly stand on the threshold of a new and exciting future for humanity and for each of you and your family. As my husband wisely said, it may be work to bend down to pick up a radiant, precious diamond but the fruit of that work justifies all the troubles you have to face and efforts that you may have to make!

Among the many character qualities that will enrich your life and your Blessing, I wish you (The following list of Character Qualities is taken from the Character Qualities noted in the book "Pure Gold, Encouraging Character Qualities in Marriage" by Susanne M. Alexander, p128.):

Acceptance, Assertiveness, Beauty, Caring, Chastity, Commitment, Compassion, Confidence, Contentment, Cooperation, Courage, Courtesy, Creativity, Detachment, Discernment, Encouragement, Enthusiasm, Equality, Excellence, Faithfulness, Flexibility, Forgiveness, Friendliness, Generosity, Gentleness, Helpfulness, Honesty, Humility, Idealism, Integrity, Joyfulness, Justice, Kindness, Love, Loyalty, Mercy, Moderation, Patience, Peacefulness, Perseverance, Purity, Purposefulness, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Service, Sincerity, Spirituality, Strength, Tactfulness, Thankfulness, Thoughtfulness, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Unity and Wisdom.

I also wish you integrity of spirit / heart, zest for life and the tasks ahead and most of all that you will quickly reach and dwell in the full love of God forever and ever. Peace, Love and Wisdom to you and your family.

Amen!

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