Every individual who is striving earnestly to work out the problem of being in Christian Science must inevitably progress from that state of mind known as faith to the higher, Soul-governed consciousness called understanding. In a letter to a branch church Mary Baker Eddy thus defines progress and the method of its attainment (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 181): "Progress is spiritual. Progress is the maturing conception of divine Love; it demonstrates the scientific, sinless life of man and mortal's painless departure from matter to Spirit, not through death, but through the true idea of Life,—and Life not in matter but in Mind."

Progress, then, for the individual Christian Scientist is an increased understanding of God as Life and Love, and a translation of this understanding into daily words and actions. It is grasping and proving the scientific truth that Life never resides in matter, but always in Mind, and is ever being manifested by Mind's idea, man. Such true progress is a glorious experience, a marvelous awakening to the eternally harmonious nature of God, man, and the universe.

An individual often first becomes interested in Christian Science through experiencing, or witnessing, a beautiful healing. Aglow with gratitude and joy at having found the truth, he starts attending church and daily studying the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly. But sometimes we hear such a student later ask with discouragement, "My healings came so easily for years; why is that not true now?"

Mrs. Eddy says in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 449), "A grain of Christian Science does wonders for mortals, so omnipotent is Truth, but more of Christian Science must be gained in order to continue in well doing." The grain of faith must grow into the full blade of understanding. To gain this understanding, more consecrated and deeper study of the Bible and of all of Mrs. Eddy's writings is a necessity.

Perhaps mortal mind argues a lack of formal education and excuses itself from very earnest study of these books on the assumption that it has not the intelligence to understand them. But Christian Science teaches that God is the one Mind, reflected by all His ideas, and that each one receives wisdom and ability directly from God, enabling him not only to grasp the truth expressed in the inspired writings, but to apply it effectively in his human affairs.

Spiritual progress demands first and foremost a renunciation of material selfhood. The insistent claims of personal sense that man is finite, vulnerable, humanly glorious or base, must be vanquished in the clear knowing of Soul. The individual, prayerfully acknowledging man's true and only selfhood as God's idea, His image and likeness, strives for and gains freedom from such mesmerism.

It is well to recognize that the carnal mind argues bitterly against its annihilation by Truth. It would, if it could, keep mortal consciousness on the level of blind faith, rather than scientific understanding, until eventually even faith grows dim or degenerates into dogma. Its specious arguments of apathy, weariness, doubt, pressure, self-indulgence, and self-justification must be steadfastly negated with the persistent recognition of man's sonship with God, good, and his consequent love of Truth and inseparability from Mind. The ceaseless inspiration, joy, and peace of true consciousness are found to be ever at hand as man's oneness with Mind is acknowledged.

In a chapter entitled "Admonition" (Retrospection and Introspection, pp. 78–85) Mrs. Eddy points out many vital truths to the student who is seeking to gain a greater understanding of Christian Science. This chapter discusses pitfalls which claim to beset the path of the student of Christian Science and gives loving counsel as to how to avoid them. For instance, Mrs. Eddy warns against such stumbling blocks as reading books antagonistic to Christian Science; seeking to gain an understanding of Science chiefly from the experience of another rather than turning with increasing consecration and earnestness to the actual study of the textbooks; and talking too much. She also enumerates various errors of mortal thinking which must be overcome, such as pride, selfishness, impurity, dishonesty, envy, intemperance, impatience.

The entire chapter is a strong behest for individual progress. In its closing paragraphs she uncovers the lie of division that animal magnetism would always try to introduce and shows its impotence: "If God be for us," as Paul said, "who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31.) She closes with a confident and joyous assertion of the progress and ultimate triumph of the Cause of Christian Science.

"The kindly shepherd of the East carries his lambs in his arms to the sheepcot, but the older sheep pass into the fold under his compelling rod," our Leader observes on page 80 of this article; and in the preceding paragraph she states, "If the Christian Scientist recognize the mingled sternness and gentleness which permeate justice and Love, he will not scorn the timely reproof, but will so absorb it that this warning will be within him a spring, welling up into unceasing spiritual rise and progress." How grateful we may be that she has opened for us, through her writings, unfailingly progressive paths to a better understanding of God! The following words of Jeremiah are as true for us today as they were many centuries ago when he wrote them in a letter to the captives in Babylon (Jer. 29:10, 13): "For thus saith the Lord, ... Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."