Do you believe in the idea of the chosen and elect? So do I. So how can you tell them from others? You could look for those who lay down their life, and pick up their cross and follow me. You could look for those who have been sifted like wheat, and submitted to the refiner’s fire. You could look at those who always bear about my death in their own bodies. What about those who are last, being a spectacle unto me, and to angels, and to men; the off-scouring of the world, yet those of whom the world was not worthy? So there really are the chosen and elect.

Are you ever discouraged at your current state of advancement, and the slow rate at which you are making progress? If you take a journey you can estimate your arrival time by doing a time, rate, and distance calculation. If you know your current position and how far you have to go and your rate of travel you can figure it out. Your spiritual journey does not lend itself to such easy calculations. Do not despair at what you see as a lack of progress, or your slow rate of moving ahead. As long as you are consciously engaged in the journey I will get you where you need to be in time.

Do you know any celebrities? Some countries have official royalty, and those that don’t have celebrities which are unofficial royalty. The term implies celebration. Are there some people whose accomplishments are so great that you should honor them or throw a party for them whenever you see them? What sort of accomplishments are worthy of this? Academic and intellectual? Military heroes? Athletes? Entertainers? Do you know of anyone with spiritual achievement who is considered a celebrity? Perhaps your culture has a distorted view of what really matters.

What was your motivation for going to school? To pass the courses assigned to you and graduate? This would be expected in a compulsory system, but a better motivation would be the value of the information and skills presented, and how they will improve the rest of your life. Do you realize that your education continues beyond formal enrollment? At that point you are no longer constrained by academic credit for graduation. Do you see yourself as a lifelong student? Do you see the Holy Spirit as your teacher who will lead you into all truth?