Spiritual understanding enables us to recognize the attraction of purity and enjoy its rewards—rewards far more lasting than the tinsel and glamour of its opposite. Mrs. Eddy tells us, "In proportion to his purity is man perfect; and perfection is the order of celestial being which demonstrates Life in Christ, Life's spiritual ideal." ^{Science and Health, p. 337.}

The man created in God's likeness is totally spiritual and therefore pure. He has never been anything else and never will be. But we have to learn to love this spiritual fact, understand it, prove it. So doing, we gain progressive dominion over the physical senses and a deeper awareness of our unity with God, good, as His idea.

The basic understanding that God is Mind and that there is only one Mind, or true consciousness, is needed in overcoming impurity of every kind. We recognize that there is no place for impurity or its false attractions in the divine consciousness. As His reflection, therefore, we are conscious only of the good that is continuously coming from God.

We grow in our spiritual understanding of God and man as we discern the spiritual condition of our true being. This recognition shields us from whatever would undermine our spiritually based moral values. Real being was never overwhelmed by evil's most blatant allurements—pornography, sensuality, immorality of any type. Carnality and depravity can be traced to the belief in self-centered mortal thought, or a human being or human conception unlike God, good; therefore they are no part of our true being, and there can be no genuine enjoyment in them. Thought emerging from materiality is a pathway to the healing truth, taught in Christian Science. Christ Jesus told his disciples, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." ^{Matt. 5:8.} And then the master Christian, through his healing ministry, showed us how to see man as the child of God—incorporeal, and expressing such qualities as joy, goodness, justice. Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health, "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals." ^{Science and Health, pp. 476-477.}

The Master did not accept the mistaken theological concept— nor need we—that man is a miserable sinner or that he comes from dust. But we must identify ourselves correctly as spiritual man. We must see man as the individual expression of God, good, and then prove our freedom from sin and the temptations of the flesh.

Today's frequent compromise with impurity in one form or another—in the media, in literature, even in our food supply—might signify to some that purity is irrelevant or a relic from the past. Just the opposite is true. The real man, as the expression of the one God, is spotless, upright. Applying such truths to ourselves, we cannot be attracted to or impressed by the allurements of the suggestive and degrading; nor can we be affected physically by them.

God-derived attributes of honesty, humility, trust, gratitude, truly thrive in an atmosphere of purity, and there is no substitute for them. When we are faithful to our responsibilities, honest in our business dealings, compassionate in our contacts with others, we are establishing the right mental climate for God's healing power.

A young business executive felt quite complacent. His car, his dates—all portrayed a fast, racy life. But suddenly one day, when problems had begun to overwhelm him—the loss of his job, a painful internal condition—he realized he had been quite slow and dull when it came to understanding the important things in life. And he had begun to lose touch with the powerful ideas he had glimpsed in a Christian Science Sunday School some years before.

As he discussed the situation with a Christian Science practitioner, he realized how far he had strayed. He had allowed undisciplined thinking to get a foothold. This had affected not only his job performance but his physical well-being. Purity of thought, at that point, seemed an unattainable goal.

Working closely with the practitioner, he resolved to see spiritual perfection in himself and everyone with whom he came in contact. He found himself associating with new friends. More wholesome relationships developed. Science and Health offered much encouragement. For example: "The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress. 'Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.'" ^{Ibid., p. 324.}

The young man began to recognize that man is complete because God makes him so. He saw the distinction between man in the image of God and the mortal conception of man. He began to identify himself correctly from the standpoint of the Christianly scientific view. Now he began to grasp the fact that Godlike thinking and living embody the power of Truth to support prayer and to restore health and harmony. He began to feel the attraction of purity. Within a short time, the physical difficulty had disappeared and he was offered a challenging new job.

Is purity really necessary? No matter how much compromise with impurity may be evident today, purity can never be outdated. It's here to stay, and proving it is a joy.