Characteristics of a true holder of the priesthood of God remain constant despite changing times and circumstances, President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, said in his priesthood session address.

President Thomas S. Monson

He identified the characteristics as "the mark of vision," "the mark of effort," "the mark of faith," "the mark of virtue" and "the mark of prayer."

• The mark of vision. "In effect, we are the product of our choices. We must develop the capacity to recall the past, to evaluate the present and to look to the future in order to accomplish in our lives what the Lord would have us do."

• The mark of effort. "It's in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals."

He told of Olympic runner Garry Bjorklund who, halfway through a qualifying race for the U.S. team in 1976, lost his shoe. Refusing to give up, he ran the race without the shoe, putting forth extra effort to compensate. He finished third in the race with the best running time he had ever recorded.

"As priesthood holders," President Monson said, "we may find there are times in our lives when we falter, when we become weary or fatigued or when we suffer a disappointment or heartache. When that happens, I would hope that we would persevere with even greater effort toward our goal."

He spoke of the time he served as bishop of the Salt Lake Sixth-Seventh Ward, having been called at the young age of 22. The ward comprised 1,080 members. "Although monumental in scope, I did not let the assignment overwhelm me," he said. "Each of us can do the same, regardless of the calling or assignment."

• The mark of faith. President Monson quoted Psalm 118:8-9, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." He added, "In other words, let us put our confidence in the ability of the Lord to guide us. Friendships, we know, may alter and change, but the Lord is constant."

• The mark of virtue. President Monson recalled a meeting he attended in the Salt Lake Tabernacle while he was a youth holding the Aaronic Priesthood. On that occasion, he said, the president of the Church said in essence that men who commit sexual sin do not do so in the twinkling of an eye, but that actions are preceded by thoughts, and declared that the way to avoid sin is to keep one's thinking pure.

• The mark of prayer. "If any of us has been slow to hearken to the counsel to pray always, there is no finer hour to begin than now," President Monson said. "William Cowper declared, 'Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees.' Those who feel that prayer might denote a physical weakness should consider that a man never stands taller than when he is upon his knees."