The Sculpting of Our Souls

Build on Christ During Life's Storms

Sister Runia challenges the expectation that faithful living prevents painful experiences. She teaches that the gospel provides a solid foundation during adversity rather than an umbrella that keeps every storm away.

The gospel isn’t the umbrella; it’s the solid rock we’re standing on during the storm—that “sure foundation … whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

But I’ve learned from experience that we’re all going to get rained on. And sometimes we’re going to get pelted!

• The promises associated with obedience remain true, but faithful disciples still experience hardship.
• An inability to fix a painful situation does not mean the gospel fails us.
• Jesus Christ provides the foundation that sustains us through circumstances we cannot control.
• Faith centers on the Savior rather than on an expectation of a trouble-free life.

• What experience helps you distinguish between expecting protection from every trial and finding strength through Christ during a trial?
• Which gospel practice helps you remain grounded when circumstances feel beyond your control?
• When you face something you cannot fix, how does turning to the Savior change your response?
• What simple example from your life illustrates the difference between an umbrella and a firm foundation?

Let Difficult Experiences Refine Your Soul

Drawing on the Lord's words to Joseph Smith in prison, Sister Runia teaches that experience contributes to spiritual growth. She describes mortality as a laboratory in which we learn to put on Christ and become more like Him.

God’s answer implies that experience is valuable, and I’m learning the only way to get it is to go through it.

We studied it there, and we’re living it here, in this laboratory of life. This is where we “put on Christ.”

God is shaping us into something only He knows we can become.

I testify that during those sanctifying experiences, when growth is taking place and God is at work, our stories may not look like success to others.

• The Lord teaches Joseph Smith that difficult experiences can be for his good.
• Some learning requires living through experiences rather than merely hearing about them.
• Spiritual refinement may feel painful and may not resemble outward success.
• Both heartbreaking circumstances and unfulfilled righteous desires can become settings for growth.
• God's shaping work points toward becoming more like our heavenly parents and Savior.

• What challenging experience helps you develop compassion, patience, humility, or another Christlike quality?
• What lesson becomes clearer through lived experience than through explanation alone?
• Where do you recognize spiritual growth that others may not see?
• How does an unfulfilled righteous desire invite you to deepen your relationship with Christ?

Trust God's Love Without Understanding Everything

Sister Runia uses Nephi's testimony to distinguish knowing God's love from knowing the meaning of every circumstance. She affirms that unanswered questions can coexist with genuine belief and invites us to approach uncertainty from a foundation of divine love.

I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

God’s love has moved me from questions that begin with “why” to reflections that begin, “I know that God loves me, so what is supposed to be happening here?”

Not understanding is not the same as not believing.

I may not understand everything, but I absolutely believe God sees you, loves you, and knows your story—a story that is both personal and purposeful!

• We can know that God loves us without understanding every painful event.
• Honest uncertainty does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith.
• Confidence in God's love can change how we reflect on adversity.
• God sees each person and knows each person's story.
• A testimony can include both firm conviction and an acknowledgment of unanswered questions.

• What helps you recognize God's love while a question remains unanswered?
• How do you express both honest uncertainty and sincere belief in your prayers?
• What scripture, act of kindness, or spiritual impression reassures you that God knows you personally?
• How does beginning with "I know that God loves me" influence the way you approach a difficult circumstance?

Follow God's Plan Without Seeing the Whole Picture

Through Jaac's illustration of building with Lego instructions, Sister Runia encourages trust in the Designer even when the finished picture is unavailable. She acknowledges the pain of surrendering an expected life story while affirming that Christ's work extends beyond our present circumstances.

Your story is personal. So you don’t need to look sideways and ask, “How come my life doesn’t look like theirs?”

Our suffering means something. It’s not a detour from the path; it gives purpose to our path.

Yes, because you can trust the one who designed it, and it always turns out.

It will take your finest faith in Christ to keep putting together the pieces—the ones that make sense but also the ones that don’t.

Consider this: Christ’s work in your life and His love for you are bigger than your present story.

• Each person's story is personal and purposeful, so comparison does not reveal its full meaning.
• God knows our experiences and has a plan even when we cannot see it.
• Trust in God enables us to follow His guidance without seeing the complete outcome.
• Letting go of an expected future involves real pain that deserves acknowledgment.
• Faith in Christ helps us continue taking faithful steps when parts of life do not make sense.

• What helps you take a faithful next step when the eventual outcome remains unclear?
• How do you find peace when your life does not match your expectations or someone else's circumstances?
• What experience illustrates trusting God's guidance without having the whole picture?
• Which small act of faith helps you keep putting life's pieces together?

Turn to Christ for Healing and Joy

Sister Runia shares Ryan's counsel to a neighbor in distress as an invitation to turn toward God for healing. She testifies that Christ can mend what feels broken and make room for joy amid the wounds of mortal life.

Brother, you have a choice right now, and it’s a big one. You can curse God and blame Him, or you can turn to Him and let Him heal you.

Let’s choose Christ, who can heal the wounds of this world while carving out room for joy!

God is saying, “Trust me,” and we are learning how to say yes.

I don’t pretend to know how it works, but it feels like a sort of divine mending that changes what’s happening to you into something happening for you!

• Turning toward Christ opens our lives to His healing influence.
• The Savior can address brokenness that exceeds our ability to repair it.
• Trust grows as we learn to respond to God's invitation.
• Christ's healing makes room for joy without requiring us to deny genuine sorrow.
• Sister Runia describes divine mending as a transformation in how suffering contributes to our growth.

• What does choosing to turn toward Christ look like in your daily response to pain?
• How do prayer, worship, or service help you receive the Savior's healing influence?
• Where do you notice moments of joy alongside grief or difficulty?
• What experience helps you testify of Christ's healing without suggesting that everyone's pain resolves quickly?

Invite the Savior to Shape Your Soul

The story of Sister Runia's brother in a sculpting class illustrates the difference a master's help makes. She invites us to set aside pride, seek the Savior's involvement, and trust His shaping work as He helps us become more like Him.

As I stepped back and looked at the piece, I could see that it was uniquely me. And yet, without a doubt, a master’s hand had shaped what mine could not.

My friends, there is sculpting taking place within each of our souls. To invite the Savior to become involved is hard. Our pride gets in the way.

But as time goes on, we will begin to see the work of His hand. God is shaping us into something only He knows we can become.

“For we shall see him as he is,” and “we shall be like him,” I joyfully testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Pride can keep us struggling alone rather than seeking the Savior's help.
• Humility allows us to invite His transforming influence into our lives.
• The Savior's refining work can feel surprising or uncomfortable.
• His masterful help develops possibilities we cannot achieve through our own efforts alone.
• The promise of becoming like the Savior gives an eternal perspective to present struggles.

• Where do you recognize a tendency to insist on solving everything yourself?
• What helps you humble yourself and ask the Savior for help?
• How does correction or a difficult invitation help you recognize a needed change?
• What evidence of the Savior's shaping hand do you see in your character or relationships?