Genesis 50:19

It had been a long road for Joseph; it had been a desperately rough road, too. There was the slimy pit, the brothers’ treachery, the slave chains, the terrible palace temptation, and the prison cell. But what a different ending this story has: “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ . . . ‘Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you’ ” (Genesis 41:41–40). And can you not hear Joseph speaking to his brethren: “God intended it for good to accomplish . . . the saving of many lives.”

A whole life committed to God in unswerving loyalty is held as a most sacred trust. The processes used in building a great soul are varied and consume much time. Many a long road seems to have no turning.