“Nothing endures but change” – Herclitus
It could be said that we live in an age of change. One simply has to look at technology in recent years and the change will be evident. When I was growing up we marveled at things like: cordless phones, Nintendo and VCRs. We came from the day when a mixtape was actually a mix-tape, to streaming live music and other entertainment at our beck and call almost anywhere.
But a midst all of the change in the world, we can distractedly miss the most important changes. The real changes. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you sent viral content via twitter to millions of followers, or if you only communicated with a small group of people with drums and makeshift instruments. It doesn’t matter how “relevant” you were or how up to date you were. What will matter is how you have changed in your heart.
A Lasting change of the heart is rarely a singular, transformational event, but rather something simple, yet consistent, taking place over time. Change is not a singular decision; it’s a state of mind. It’s the simple decisions we make to be better. It’s a chain of decisions. When we make a good choice, it changes us for the better. It also opens our hearts and minds for more good choices.
As a person who constantly struggles with change, rather it was substance abuse or my current struggles with overwhelming laziness, I have sometimes thought that change comes too slow. We live in a time of instant-everything, sometimes one must patiently proceed with the plan before it shows much fruit, or any fruit. True change is more than experiencing an awakening or spark of inspiration. True change is action taken to move one’s heart forward. True change requires consistency. True change is a day-to-day struggle. True change perseveres.
“Perseverance is not a long race, it is many short races, one after the other.” – Walter Elliott
Lifelong change is not occurred instantly, but from repeated positive choices. Something soft, like water, can completely reface continents. One of nature’s most amazing features, and a great example of true change, is the formation of slot 
canyons.
Growing up in Utah, we would often make trips down to the high desert on the Colorado Plateau. The warm glow of the beautiful red rocks invites millions of people from all over the world to see some of the of great marvels of our Earth.
Slot canyons were made by water. Water that continued to flow in these areas for years and years. Over time, the water cut through layer after layer of hard stone, exposing beautiful sediment striations and patterns that would not be known otherwise.
Our hearts can sometimes be like stone. Solid, hard, stubborn, immovable, unbreakable, numb. But if we start with simple choices and make a conscious effort to walk forward every day, our hearts can be penetrated by something as soft as love, tender mercy or forgiveness.