Ofttimes, we are like the young merchant who, in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.

Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit.

There's no gold here!

Oh, there's gold all right. You just have to know where to find it. There's nothing here. Trust me, I've been searching for days.

It's hardly worth my time. I'm looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks. Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets, you're missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold. The old prospector said, "The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth."

This story illustrates the spiritual truth that Alma taught his son Helaman. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy.