The children who could not wait 15 minutes to double their marshmallow prize struggled later in life.

“Without patience we cannot please God.”

Patience is far more than simply waiting for something to happen. It is active pursuit of worthwhile endeavors.

Patience is not simply enduring, it is enduring well.

Impatience on the other hand is a symptom of “center of the universe” syndrome.

The character traits described in section 121 are the foundation of godly patience.

The promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain.

Often the deep valleys of our present are not understood until we see them from the mountains of our future.

Patience is a process of perfection.

Sometimes it is in the waiting, not in the receiving, that we grow the most.

I had not noticed that the children in the study were four years old. We did the experiment with our kids and all but Isaac were able to do 15 minutes. Even at three years old Isaac can wait five minutes although fifteen was outside his range.

Patience – the ability to put our desires on hold for a time – is a precious and rare virtue.

Without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

As parents, we know how unwise it would be to indulge our children’s every desire. But children are not the only ones who spoil when showered with immediate gratification. Our Heavenly Father knows what good parents come to understand over time: if children are ever going to mature and reach their potential, they must learn to wait.

I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen – patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort.

There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can – working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

The character traits and practices described in Doctrine and Covenants 121:39-45 are the foundation of godly patience and are inseparably connected to effective priesthood and patriarchal service. These attributes will give you strength and wisdom.

Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself.

We must learn that in the Lord’s plan, our understanding comes “line upon line, precept upon precept.” In short, knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.

Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. . . Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.

Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying immediate gratification for future blessings. It means reining in anger and holding back the unkind word. It means resisting evil, even when it appears to be making others rich.

Ultimately, patience means being “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord” every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so.

Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. He is talking about waiting for and receiving goodly attributes here, not simply temporal goods.

We are commanded in these latter days to “continue in patience until ye are perfected.”(Doctrine and Covenants 67:13)

My dear brethren, the work of patience boils down to this: keep the commandments; trust in God, our Heavenly Father; serve Him with meekness and Christlike love; exercise faith and hope in the Savior; and never give up. The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness. They will help us to become worthy priesthood bearers and faithful disciples of our Master, Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer that patience will be a defining characteristic of we who hold the priesthood of Almighty God; that we will courageously trust the Lord’s promises and His timing; that we will act toward others with the patience and compassion we seek for ourselves; and that we will continue in patience until we are perfected.