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.
Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

“knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.”

“Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying
immediate gratification for future blessings. It means reining in anger and
holding back the unkind word. It means resisting evil, even when it appears
to be making others rich.”

“Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with
courage, grace, and faith.”

“Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting

rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time
of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these
latter days to ‘continue in patience until ye are perfected.’”

“The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives,
and heighten our happiness.

Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your

patience you possess your souls.11 Or, to use another translation of the Greek
text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls.12 Patience means to
abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the
receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time of the Savior. It is
true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these latter days to
“continue in patience until ye are perfected.”13

Patience is a godly attribute that can heal souls, unlock treasures of

knowledge and understanding, and transform ordinary men and women into
saints and angels. Patience is truly a fruit of the Spirit.

“Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare
virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience
may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.

“Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect.

Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness,
focuses action, and offers hope for peace.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010
General Conference)

“Patience is another form of self-control. It is the ability to postpone gratification and to

bridle one’s passions…. Patience is composure under stress. A patient man also waits
on the Lord. We sometimes read or hear of people who seek a blessing from the Lord,
then grow impatient when it does not come swiftly. Part of the divine nature is to trust in
the Lord enough to ‘be still and know that [he is] God’ (D&C 101:16).” (President Ezra
Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1986, p.47)

A little background on my topic today.

One Sunday last October Brooklynn and Lori Brouse gave a beautiful lesson in Young Women
about Christlike attributes. The lesson included a self-assessment quiz to help each of us see
where we stand in relation to attributes like humility, knowledge, charity and hope. One area of
opportunity for improvement that clearly rose to the top for me – at no surprise to my family,
I’m sure – was the attribute of patience. That was appropriate because the next week it was my
turn to teach the lesson and the topic was none other than “How Can I learn to be more
Patient?” That next week was an especially busy week for me, but I made the time to prepare
for our Sunday discussion on patience. I brought some visual aids, printed materials and
readied the room. And then I waited and waited some more. No one came to young women
that day. No one. In a strange twist of events every young woman and every leader except for
me was out that Sunday for one reason or another. Ironically, my lesson on patience would
have to wait. I think the Lord was trying to teach me something that day.

Over the past 5 months I have had the opportunity to ponder on what it means to be patient,
why it is important and how we can develop more of it.

What exactly is patience? Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or
suffering without being angry, frustrated, or anxious. In the words of Elder Uchtodorf, it
is the ability to put our desires on hold for a time.

Many of thoughts I will share today come from a talk by Elder Uchtodorf in the April 2010
Conference.

What does patience look like?

 Staying with something until the end and doing all we can
 Delaying immediate gratification for future blessings
 Not giving into anger and holding our tongue
 Accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace and faith
 Continuing on the covenant path, keeping the commandments even when it’s hard to
do so
 Waiting upon the Lord
 Planting seeds of faith and nourishing them
  Courageously trusting the Lord’s promises and His timing
 Giving others the benefit of the doubt
 Realizing that others are imperfect, just as we are
 Never giving up on anyone – including ourselves
 Enduring well

In our world of instant downloads, on-demand videos, real-time video messaging, and uber
eats, the thought of waiting seems out of place and almost unbearable.

Patience is a principle that is sprinkled throughout the scriptures.

The children of Israel waited 40 years in the wilderness before they could
enter the promised land. Jacob waited 7 long years for Rachel. The Jews
waited 70 years in Babylon before they could return to rebuild the temple. The
Nephites waited for a sign of Christ’s birth, even knowing that if the sign did
not come, they would perish. Joseph Smith’s trials in Liberty Jail caused even
the prophet of God to wonder, “How long?”4

At this moment, you probably can bring to the front of your mind some of the times in your
lives when you had to wait, to endure uncomfortable delay, difficulty and suffering.

Each one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to
prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good
to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the
answer.

Patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action
and offers hope for peace. Patience is a godly attribute that can heal souls, unlock treasures of
knowledge and understanding and transform ordinary men and women into saints and angels.

The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives,
and heighten our happiness.

I love the example of Brigham Young. Speaking of times when things came up which he could
not fully comprehend, he would pray to the Lord, “Give me patience until I can understand it
for myself.” And then he would continue to pray until he could understand it.

Understanding comes “line upon line, precept upon precept.” In the words of Elder Ucthdorf,
“knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.”

Waiting for something worthwhile deepens our appreciation for it and helps us appreciate the
Giver even more.
Patience is so much more than simply waiting for something to happen. Patience requires
actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results don’t
appear instantly or without any effort.

Crewe and his origami.

As the Lord is patient with us, let us be patient with those we serve.
Understand that they, like us, are imperfect. They, like us, make mistakes.
They, like us, want others to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself.

I believe that every one of us, at one time or another, can identify with the
servant in Christ’s parable who owed money to the king and who pled with the
king, saying, “Lord, have patience with me.”3

When we read of patience in the scriptures, it’s often accompanied with faith.

Sometimes it is a desire for something to be achieved or realized – the desire for

something to arrive. Other times it is a desire for something to be over already or clearly
resolved.

Patience looks like…..

Waiting can be difficult for both the young and seasoned.

patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience
required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged
when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort.

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.
Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

“knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.”

“Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying
immediate gratification for future blessings. It means reining in anger and
holding back the unkind word. It means resisting evil, even when it appears
to be making others rich.”

“Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with
courage, grace, and faith.”

“Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting

rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time
of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these
latter days to ‘continue in patience unti l ye are perfected.’”

“The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives,
and heighten our happiness.

“Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare
virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience
may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.

“Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect.

Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness,
focuses action, and offers hope for peace.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010
General Conference)

“Patience is another form of self-control. It is the ability to postpone gratification and to

bridle one’s passions…. Patience is composure under stress. A patient man also waits
on the Lord. We sometimes read or hear of people who seek a blessing from the Lord,
then grow impatient when it does not come swiftly. Part of the divine nature is to trust in
the Lord enough to ‘be still and know that [he is] God’ (D&C 101:16).” (President Ezra
Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1986, p.47)

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are
unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best – better than does
God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we
are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience.” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign,
October 1980, p.28)
“The Lord, Jesus Christ, is our perfect example of patience. Though absolutely
unyielding in adherence to the truth, He exemplified patience repeatedly during His
mortal ministry. He was patient with His disciples, including the Twelve, despite their
lack of faith and their slowness to recognize and understand His divine mission. He
was patient with the multitudes as they pressed about Him, with the woman taken in sin,
with those who sought His healing power, and with little children. Finally, He remained
patient through the suffering of His mock trials and His crucifixion.” (Elder Joseph B.
Wirthlin, Hope, p. 156)

“There seems to be little evidence that the Creator of the universe was ever in a
hurry. Everywhere, on this bounteous and beautiful earth, and the farthest reaches of
the firmament, there is evidence of patient purpose and planning and working and
waiting.” (Elder Richard L. Evans, CR, October 1952, p.95)