- “in the confidence that countless believers have acquired to share accounts of Baha'u'llah's life and discuss the implications of His Revelation and peerless Covenant;
- in the growing contingents of souls who, as a result, have been attracted to His Cause and are contributing to the achievement of His unifying vision;
- in the ability of Baha'is and their friends, at the very grassroots of the community, to describe in eloquent terms their experience of a process capable of transforming character and shaping social existence;
- in the significantly larger numbers of those indigenous to a country who, as members of Baha'i institutions and agencies, are now guiding the affairs of their communities;
- in the reliable, generous, and sacrificial giving to the Fund, so vital for sustaining the advancement of the Faith;
- in the unprecedented efflorescence of individual initiative and collective action in support of community-building activities;
- in the enthusiasm of so many selfless souls in the prime of youth who are bringing immense vigour to this work, notably by tending to the spiritual education of younger generations;
- in the enhancement of the devotional character of the community through regular gatherings for worship;
- in the rise in capacity at all levels of Baha'i administration;
- in the readiness of institutions, agencies, and individuals
- to think in terms of process,
- to read their immediate reality and assess their resources in the places where they live, and
- to make plans on that basis;
- in the now familiar dynamic of study, consultation, action, and reflection that has cultivated an instinctive posture of learning;
- in the mounting appreciation for what it means to give effect to the Teachings through social action;
- in the multiplying opportunities being sought and seized to offer a Baha'i perspective on discourses prevalent in society;
- in the awareness of a global community that, in all its endeavours, it is hastening the emergence of divine civilization by manifesting the society-building power inherent in the Cause;
- indeed, in the friends' growing consciousness that their efforts
- to foster inner transformation,
- to widen the circle of unity,
- to collaborate with others in the field of service,
- to help populations take charge of their own spiritual, social, and economic development—and,
- The Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 2016)
