Ships of every size and type sail daily in and out of the bay near which we live. One day as an oversize aircraft carrier cruised in from the Pacific, followed closely by a great battleship, I was reminded of a time when I had been conducted on an exhaustive tour of such a ship. Not comprehending the complexities of machinery and instruments but impressed by them, I expressed amazement at the thought of anyone's contriving such mechanism. An officer explained to me that of course no one individual had envisioned the whole of this vessel, nor had any group of individuals in a single concerted effort pooled their genius to produce a warship of such efficiency and power. It was pointed out that while this ship represented the ultimate in research and development according to the standards of the day, it soon would be outmoded as better and better concepts resulted from further invention and scientific refinement.
The officer's remarks suggested three qualities of thought: unlimited vision, precision of thought, and selfless co-operation, which contribute to such achievement. Certainly also the quality of humble openmindedness had beneficially exposed the thought of naval architects and engineers to ever-unfolding ideas. Above all, one saw the effectiveness of patience.
The student's thought turned to the vast project in which we all seem to be engaged, that of building a life. The Christian Scientist recognizes that, in reality, his life is the individual expression of God, who is Life, and that this fact must be brought to light. Man reflects Life; he does not build or develop it. Working to demonstrate spiritual harmony in human experience, the Scientist is faced with the necessity of evangelizing the human self. This evangelization is accomplished through spiritual research and development and becomes effective only as a result of applying Christian rules to daily living. The present human model, he knows, must be improved. And even though this model represents the best he can achieve through his present spiritual understanding, he knows that it will be improved as his thought is inspired by Christ, Truth, and embraces a higher, more Godlike concept of man. Active demonstration of Godlike qualities in daily life depicts the true Christian Scientist at work—revealing his true life.
