CONSIDERING the needs of mankind, there is nothing the world should await more eagerly today than the unfolding of the character of the Christian Scientist. The call for men and women, as well as little children, who shall express more of God's image and likeness, comes insistently from every walk of life. Every progressive activity, every constructive enterprise, demands the application of the higher understanding of the spiritual nature of man. In the Christian Science movement the need is fundamental. Mrs. Eddy has expressed this need in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 291), where she prophetically says, "We know that all will be changed 'in the twinkling of an eye,' when the last trump shall sound; but this last call of wisdom cannot come till mortals have already yielded to each lesser call in the growth of Christian character."
From many quarters to-day we hear the call for character building. In Christian Science, however, we learn that the metaphysical work which always accompanies constructive spiritual effort is not so much for the building of character as for its revealing. Christian character, as Mrs. Eddy has shown throughout her whole revelation of Truth, is already complete in divine Mind. It only remains to be revealed to human apprehension. This is the only building process known to the Christian Scientist. To him, the growth of the divine idea and its unfolding in human consciousness is a building operation by which the divine likeness appears more and more clearly in his daily life. When the divine idea has been conveyed to his waiting thought, he proceeds to follow the Principle of construction and carry out the plan. Then it appears that character building in Christian Science is commensurate with spiritual growth; for only through progress in the knowledge of God can the possibilities of Christian character be unfolded.
Building and growth are thus seen to be correlative terms when applied to Christian character. In bringing this concept of character, as a revelation of divine Mind, into activity in our daily life, we shall be found to be building and growing simultaneously. Thus our Christian character will become effectual in all our social relationships, and the world will learn to know and love God better in consequence. In listening to each call that comes to us, and in obedience thereto, the revelation will become clearer; and we shall grow more familiar with the lines of its discovery.
