The big things in life—the worthy achievements and successful accomplishments—result from many well-done little things. No one who would achieve can afford to overlook this. Thoughts and acts that might seem trivial in themselves lead on to large results. Many have benefited from the insight of Michael Angelo's oft-quoted thought, "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

The loveliest silken garment is woven from minute threads. The honey we enjoy is gathered by the bees in almost invisible drops from the nectar of the flowers. The carpet with which nature covers the earth is made of tiny blades, each essential to the whole. Brief moments add up to hours, and days, and years. Mary Baker Eddy has said something of these little things called moments which shows we can make of them steppingstones to worth-while goals. Here it is: "Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon the improvement of moments more than upon any other one thing" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 230). And the best way to improve our moments is to be careful about each thought, word, and act that fills them.

Paint is an important thing. It makes homes bright and cheery, or drab and gloomy, and serves other useful purposes. But one would not ordinarily think of it as being closely related to the speed of the airplane it is applied to. Yet such is the case. A recent announcement in the press tells of several improvements made to one of our efficient combat planes to make it even more efficient. For one thing, the paint has been changed from one of a rough texture to one giving a mirror-smooth finish. This reduces the friction in flight, and adds seven miles an hour to the plane's speed, so increasing its usefulness and range of service. A little thing with a big influence.

Sometimes a Reader in our services comes to the desk with a very solemn face. Yet he is there to proclaim the most joyous message humanity will ever hear—the Word of Truth that means salvation for every individual from the afflictions of evil. Ever-joyful Mind would surely have him bring a sense of joy and gladness, not an appearance of solemnity close to sadness, to the high calling in which he is privileged to serve. It is one of those little things that help to accomplish a big thing— the effective presentation of the message of God.

One's home offers the most frequent, opportunity to show regard for the little things that make it a haven of peace, or a place of burdens and ill-will. Pertinent are the questions put by Mrs. Eddy (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 339): "Art thou a child, and hast added one furrow to the brow of care? Art thou a husband, and hast pierced the heart venturing its all of happiness to thy keeping? Art thou a wife, and hast bowed the o'erburdened head of thy husband?" Each moment in the home, the office, the school, on the farm, in the factory, or in the services, is a Love-given opportunity to think the thought, do the act, or speak the word that will show forth the presence of God and contribute to the happiness and unity of men.

How mindful the Master was of what to many might seem the little things! He said that "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law." Each word he spoke was fitly spoken, and sometimes his silence spoke louder than could words. He reminded us of the Father's consideration for the sparrows, called our attention to the dress the creator has given to the lilies, and would not be denied the affectional presence of the little children. With Love's own consideration for every detail, he provided for his disciples—whom Mind guided to him—just a little before his departure from the earthly scene, a breakfast warmed and ready, on the shore of the Galilean Sea.

Yes, how consistently good and kind he was, improving every moment, using it as an opportunity to image forth the Love and Life that is man's Ego, man's Mind, and man's God. He loved his Father so genuinely that he expressed Love naturally each moment and hour. It was the Christ, the true idea of God as Love, and of man as Love's witness, ever active in his thought, that subdued the fleshly self and made each moment of his life evidence the presence of God.

Yet Jesus did not attain in a day. With discernment Mrs. Eddy writes: "This spiritual idea, or Christ, entered into the minutiae of the life of the personal Jesus. It made him an honest man, a good carpenter, and a good man before it could make him the glorified" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 166). So with ourselves. The glory of spiritual reality and our sonship with God cannot come until the Christ, or true idea, of God and man enters into the minutiae of our life experience and we prove, step by step, that we have a living love for those qualities of humility, honesty, and good will which characterize our oneness with the Father.

How tender, considerate, and kind the practitioner should be with every patient. How wise not to say aught to increase his fear of evil, but to say only what will enlarge his trust in God. How consistent should every Christian Scientist be so to love his religion that his life more than his words shows that he walks and talks with God.

Actually there are no little things and big things in God's kingdom. God, Supreme Being, demands that every thought and word be of His unfolding. Principle, Love, radiates forth in every thought and act of man. All who consistently wear the garment of godliness in things humanly considered great or small are truly great, great with the quality of God.

Paul Stark Seeley