Someone told that good friend of ours, seeking to humiliate him, that his was a second— or third—rate soul.

As he was convinced of his nothingness, he was not upset. Instead he reasoned this way: “Each man has just one soul. I have mine, just the one. So for each one his own soul is first—rate. I’m not going to lower my sights. So, my soul is of the very very best: and with God’s help, I want to purify it and whiten it and set it on fire, to please my Beloved.”

—You must not forget this: you cannot “lower your sights” either, despite the fact that you see yourself full of wretchedness.