Students at BYU have the same challenge - on a personal level - that exists for the university, President James E. Faust said Nov. 18 in his address during a BYU devotional.

And that, he explained, is to learn the secular in a spiritual context. "You are here to learn for eternity," President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, declared, while speaking in the Marriott Center."Learning and education have always been the hallmark of our people," he explained. "Every president of the Church, beginning with President Joseph Smith, has zealously fostered, encouraged and supported the cause of education. The reason for this emphasis is that education equates to our eternal well-being."

President Faust then spoke of what it means to think clearly. He said: "Thinking clearly is the ability to discern things that matter most and separate them from things of less importance. We can think more clearly when we:

- "Take an interest in current events. Listen to the news or read a newspaper.

- "Discuss ideas with one another, even in the courses you are taking. The internet can be fascinating, but so can a conversation with a live person with whom you can exchange original thoughts.

- "Read good literature. This, of course, is expected of English majors, but for the rest of us good literature improves our vocabularies as well as our minds.

- "Keep our bodies healthy. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind."

President Faust explained that questions, in the sense of searching, not doubting, are essential to learning. In fact, he added, many of the Prophet Joseph's revelations came in response to inquiry.

Continuing, President Faust said that thinking clearly, in today's jargon, is often characterized as "prioritizing."

"But clear thinking means more than that," he said. "It is choosing the better part, not the one that will bring the most money or fame. It also means making the best use of our time."

President Faust then offered the following counsel:

- Act well. "What kind of heart will each of you have when you graduate from Brigham Young University? Dealing with lofty issues should not generate pride, which is an enemy to learning spiritual things," he said. "Training of the heart comes by and through the Holy Spirit. Reaching for eternity requires an understanding heart.

President Faust added that the "patient training of the heart" will lead one to acts of kindness. He advised students to be kind to roommates and to other students and to avoid such things as "road rage."

- Appreciate life. "Enjoy what you do whether it be studying for a degree, earning a living or raising a family - or all three! In the rush of campus life we are prone to a kind of blindness that keeps us from appreciating our full opportunities.

"The clocks tick as you pursue your studies at Brigham Young University. This should be a happy time as you move forward, tooling up for your working lives. Don't forget to laugh at the silly things that happen. Humor . . . is a powerful force for good when used with discretion. Its physical expression, laughter, is highly therapeutic."

President Faust spoke of "internalizing what we learn, going from what we know, to what we do, to what we are. All our learning and living should prepare us for leadership in the Church and in the community.

"My challenge to you is to learn to think spiritually. That is far harder to master than learning by rote the many facets of secular education. I emphasize spiritual thinking because secular learning is ever-changing. Even the so-called exact sciences, with some exceptions, are changing. Spiritual knowledge and intelligence are unchanging and eternal.

"Your purpose in being at Brigham Young University is to help you reach to eternity. The quest for eternity begins now, this year, this month, this day, even this moment. You want to be able to compete as competent equals with others in your discipline. As we think about what we will take into the eternities, it will only be our faith and our understanding and knowledge, both spiritual and temporal."