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“We count as blessed those who have persevered” (James 5:11, NIV).
We often think of great artists and musicians as having ‘bursts’ of genius. But more often, they’re models of painstaking patience and perseverance. Their greatest works tend to have been accomplished over longer periods and through extreme hardships.
Beethoven is said to have rewritten each bar of his music at least a dozen times. Joseph Haydn produced more than 800 musical compositions before writing The Creation, the oratorio for which he is most famous.
Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement is considered one of the twelve master paintings of the ages. It took him eight years to complete, during which he produced more than 2,000 sketches and renderings. Leonardo da Vinci worked on The Last Supper for ten years, often working so diligently that he forgot to eat.
When renowned pianist Paderewski was quite elderly, an admirer asked him, “Is it true that you still practise every day?” He replied, ‘”Yes, at least six hours a day.”
The admirer said in awe, “You must have a world of patience.” Paderewski said, “I have no more patience than the next fellow. I use mine.”
It is said that in the Kentucky Derby, the winning horse effectively runs out of oxygen after the first mile and runs the rest of the way on heart. Basketball legend Michael Jordan says, “Heart is what separates the good from the great.”
In the Bible, James wrote, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about”(James 5:11 NIV).
Those who are ‘blessed’ with success are those who keep persevering and refuse to give up.
By Alfred Nyamekye
