Elder L. Tom Perry on developing talents through consistency

Elder L. Tom Perry (born August 5, 1922- 96 years ago yesterday; died 2015) was called as an Assistant to the Twelve in 1972, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1974. At the time of his passing at age 92, he was the oldest living general authority and the third in seniority among the leading quorum.

"Develop a consistency in your lives of always trying to do the best with the talents you have. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the eighth chapter of Psalms.

"'O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens....

"'When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

"'What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

"'For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. [Psalms 8:1, 3-5]'

"I guess this scripture appeals to me because I like to think of myself as a junior angel with the power and opportunity of an eternal being....

"It is the same with each of us as creations of our Father in Heaven. We have been given an abundance of talent, beauty, and ability. Lack of progress can never be blamed on the lack of raw material....

"What is needed, then, is for us to make this mortal experience one that is rewarding and fulfilling by developing a consistency in doing our best with whatever talents the Lord has blessed us with."

- L. Tom Perry, "On Staying Power," BYU Devotional, 17 March 1987
Click here to read the full talk

You can just feel the joy and enthusiasm that characterized Elder Perry when he shares, "I like to think of myself as a junior angel" possessing potential to become an eternal being of power and glory. Elder Perry saw that potential in the consistency of developing our talents and using our gifts. We all have abundant "raw material" given to us; we just need to make the most of it!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
August 6, 2016