Lily came to believe that God’s gifts were not meant to be an end in themselves but were intended to prepare followers of Jesus for a life of service to others. She wrote, “We ourselves are saved to save. We are made to give, to let everything go if only we may have more to give. The pebble takes in the rays of light that fall upon it, but the diamond flashes them out again. Every facet is means, not simply for drinking more in, but for giving more out. A flower that stops short of its flowering misses its purpose.”6
