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Imagine going through your mail and finding a letter that begins with this greeting: “To all that be in [your town], beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” ( Romans 1:7, 8 ).

When I was attending college, a dear Christian Science practitioner offered to take me to Sunday School. He was teaching the college-age class.

A small group of believers is called to rise up, renew their faith, and devote themselves unreservedly to rebuilding the wall surrounding their sacred city. This story—of Nehemiah and his people (see Nehemiah, chapters 1—6 )—had my full attention one Monday morning as I began reading it in the Christian Science Bible Lesson for that week.

“ ‘What went ye out for to see?’ A person, or a Principle?” (Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 117 ).

Have you ever had a moment when words you’ve been used to using interchangeably suddenly took on very distinct and powerful meanings? It can feel like traveling to a different country that had been only a name on a map, and suddenly its sights, sounds, and smells are real and unforgettable. This happened to me when discovering how I had undervalued two biblical terms: disciple and apostle.

A wonder—a real joy in life—is to discover that there’s more to our world, each other, and ourselves than what we see when we look around—to learn that the deepest and truest sense of reality is actually exclusively spiritual.   An honest desire to understand this better opens up a world of healing, transformation, comfort, and uplifted character.

As a young woman Mary Baker Eddy faced many difficult trials, including a forced separation from her only child. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science writes briefly about this tragic period in her life in her autobiographical book Retrospection and Introspection, in the chapter “Marriage and Parentage.

American writer and humorist Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. ” What a profound observation! It strikes me that the sincere Christian thought I was brought up with, and the more metaphysical view of Christian theology and practice I’ve since learned through the teachings of Christian Science, hold a similar relation.

At this time of year, much of the world is ablaze with color and lights and decoration in anticipation of Christmas. Amid all the dazzle it’s sometimes hard to find the simple signs that mark this as a holy day.

The following is an edited summary of the 2017 Annual Meeting workshop “ The Christian Science Monitor:  uplifting the spirit of humanity,” held on June 3 in the Extension of The Mother Church and broadcast live online. To watch the complete replay, visit christianscience.