"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth; where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal," said Christ Jesus, remembering that mortals tend to go on building for themselves storehouses and barns wherein to place their accumulations of earthly treasures and gains. So-called treasure gained through selfishness, however, is not real treasure. Its possessor, having gathered together fleeting riches, finds himself burdened with apprehension lest he lose them, lest "thieves break through and steal;" and, surely, the greatest thief of all is fear—fear that one may lose that which he believes is his, his false possessions.

The world is constantly looking for treasure of some kind, for happiness, riches, popularity, fame. It is continually building castles in the air, dreaming of material satisfaction and bliss. Youth starts out along the road of material hopes in quest of success, full of optimistic aspirations; but as long as its plans are built on self-interest, on personal gain alone, the foundation of its storehouse will remain insecure.

There is spiritual treasure to be won and held, however, although the way to find it often leads through what to human sense seems bitter experience; for the human heart clings tenaciously to the material way. The individual is often blind to the necessity of overcoming selfishness if he would find the entrance to the storehouse which is already filled with heavenly riches, "an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Truly, there is a price to pay for this treasure, the treasure that cannot fade, the joy that does not perish. The price is the yielding up of the false sense of self, the sacrifice of worldly ambitions and aims, leaving all for Christ, Truth. Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes on page 79 of "Retrospection and Introspection": "Not by the hearing of the ear is spiritual truth learned and loved; nor cometh this apprehension from the experiences of others. We glean spiritual harvests from our own material losses. In this consuming heat false images are effaced from the canvas of mortal mind; and thus does the material pigment beneath fade into invisibility."

Looking out upon the world, mortals individually see their own concepts. Two persons, apparently having the same environment, friends, relationships, and advantages, may each have an entirely different outlook on life and happiness. One may have a mentality clouded with discontent, impurity, hatred, with consequent pain and misery. Even the sky, the sunshine, the singing of the birds may seem to such a one without beauty, radiance, and charm, since selfish selfpity and ingratitude reign within!

Another individual, through spiritual thinking, gains a different outlook. His mental atmosphere is bright and clear, overflowing with joy and gratitude, purity and good will. He expresses love and kindness to all alike, lifting burdens from his fellow-men. He helps others to pull up the shades of false belief, so that the light of spiritual understanding may enter the heart. His spiritual thinking dispels the gloom, bringing in its train sweet content and joyous inspiration. As heaven's messenger he scatters hope and courage, for through his persistent knowing of God's presence and allness he conquers temptation and frustrates the subtleties of sin. To such a one the ills and perplexities of material sense are not ponderous, because he has learned to bring the light of heaven into human experience, the light of spiritual understanding, which exposes evil as unreal and powerless.

Sometimes a worker in our Cause awakes to the fact that what he sees in others as very evident transgression has primarily to be dealt with in his own thought. As the light of spiritual understanding increases, phases of universal false belief often seem to present themselves in one's intercourse with others. As a searchlight, revolving in every direction, may throw its light on dangerous shoals hitherto concealed in the darkness, so spiritual light may uncover some phase of error in human consciousness. Fear of some physical ill or epidemic, hatred, jealousy, or destructive criticism, may seem rife, and it may appear to be one's lot to meet these beliefs wherever one goes. False belief would write with bold hand an undestroyed falsity on the tablet of human consciousness. And, just as when looking through smoked glass one sees a darkened world without, so, looking through the fog of undestroyed false belief, one may fail to see the truth about those with whom he comes in contact, if he is not alert and watchful. But the light dawns; and the faithful, persevering student is not long deceived by the various subtleties of personal sense. He removes the smoked glass of false belief—sees to it that so far as he is concerned so-called evil shall not be personalized. He stops thinking that these errors exist in others, for he knows that the only place evil can ever seem to exist is in a false mental state which allows a lie to seem real. Not in God's universe is evil found; only in the faulty beliefs of personal sense do these false mental images seem to take shape.

If a defective film is used, the pictures thrown upon a screen will appear defective, however white and clean the screen may be. The blurred film must be replaced with a clear one, if clear pictures are to be thrown on the screen. Thus also must one's consciousness be clear and pure, free from taint of personal sense, that the light of Truth may pour its unobstructed glory within. Thought must be cleansed of unkind criticism, condemnation, and belief in and fear of disease. God does not know the evils which false sense alone conceives; then why waste precious time in contemplating and talking about that which was never created?

How many realize that the kingdom of heaven, that infinite storehouse of peace, purity, and happiness, must dwell primarily within individual consciousness, if it is ever to be universally attained? While, in belief, selfishness and materiality reign within, these hide from view the pure atmosphere of Soul. But if one starts all his thinking from Principle, God, infinite Mind, what is the result? This clear, pure, right thinking will form higher and better concepts, cleansing the mental realm, discarding unrighteousness and self-interest. Thus spiritual thinking weaves, as it advances, the seamless robe of perfection, unfolding to mortals a loftier sense of character and establishing its own harmonious conditions.

So, when the way seems dark, and unworthy treasures are proving themselves valueless; when the mental atmosphere is heavy with regret for wasted opportunity; when the onslaughts of personal sense insistently assert themselves, the sweet task of the Christian Scientist is to turn away from the gloom, the disappointments and failures of a counterfeit selfhood, and to remember the bright and happy road from which man in God's likeness has never strayed. Turning to it, he will see his own radiant spiritual selfhood coming forth from the Father; and seeking its source he will discover the everlasting unity between God and man. He will see that with each effort, each overcoming, each obstruction removed, the inexhaustible treasure of the Father's house has been quietly and gradually transforming that which once seemed a mortal mansion into a home and resting place for angels.

Copyright, 1929, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.