Writing about enduring to the end, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve noted that one ought to maintain the perspective about the proving role of mortal life. "Even the eternal attributes can be lost by foolishness, especially the gradual variety in which what has been slips away, bit by bit," he wrote in We Will Prove Them Herewith.
"Take David's purity and humility. These attributes probably existed together. Ponder the sweet boldness of the unspoiled David, who went up against Goliath: `Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied.' (1 Sam. 17:45.)"Then compare this young David with the later, effete
decadentT David, who indulged himself as only a king can. Courtiers seldom remonstrate with a king, and when his conscience is dulled, the Uriahs of the world are seen as impediments. Indeed, the nobility of soul that once shone about David was not to be found in the loyal but betrayed Uriah, who declined a comfortable resting place: `And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.' (2 Sam. 11:11.)
"The balances to be struck are not easily achieved, but they are much more often struck if one can react humbly when brought up short in reminder of the real purposes of life."
