Sometimes we are faced with a task that seems impossible. But if we persevere, we may be surprised at what we can achieve. Perseverance is one of the keys to success. The story of the Rabbit and Turtle is a good example.

All of Rabbits friends knew that he was the fastest among them. More than anyone else, Rabbit knew it, and he never tired of telling his friends. Oh, how they wish Rabbit would stop bragging about his running skills. But no one knew what to do about it. Then something unexpected happened. To everyone's surprise, Turtle challenged Rabbit to a long-distance race.

At the appointed hour, all the animals gathered to watch. The signal was given and the race began. There was a loud whoosh, and Rabbit was out of sight.

Turtle put his head down and took the first step, then another.... and another...another. The animals went to the finish line and waited. Meanwhile, Rabbit was having a Merry time. He ran and hopped and skipped. He felt like singing. "Why should I strain myself'? He thought. How can Turtle possibly win? Feeling slightly fatigued, after all his hopping and skipping, he stopped behind a tree and lay down to rest. Soon he was in a deep sleep.

The turtle was still plodding along. He felt more than slightly fatigued. But every time he thought about stopping, he told himself, I can make it at least to that next stone, or I won't stop before I get to that next tree, or surely, I can get to the top of this hill.

And so Turtle plodded along. Time passed. Rabbit dreamed happily away. The animals waited. Finally, they saw Turtle come into sight. And while Rabbit was dreaming of success, Turtle, breathing heavily and exhausted, crossed the finish line.

The main thing is to remain staunch and firmly rooted and persevere to the end.

There is such confusion in the world today, so much uncertainty, so much materialism, that it is very hard to hold the attention of even spiritually minded people. But we must persevere and do our best knowledge this is our duty and that conditions will eventually change completely and follow Baha'u'llah's pattern.

Shoghi Effendi, High Endeavours Message to Alaska page 4.

The quality of being Courageous seems to be an essential element that goes hand in hand with developing Perseverance.

Baha'u'llah in His writing stated it clearly that the source of courage and power is the promotion of the word of God, and steadfastness in His word.

Courage means many things. It means to be brave when we are afraid. It means to tell the truth when we have done something wrong. It takes courage to do the right thing.

The story of Zaynab, the Courageous.

In the city of Zanjan, the believers of the Baha'i Faith found shelter in a fort during one of the moments of persecution they experience as a result of their devotion to their religion.

During one of the attacks in the fort, Zaynab knew that they are not enough men so she cut off her long hair. She found a sword, a shied, and a gun and went to fight. No one knew that she was a girl. Then the enemy attacked! She fought with such power and courage that the enemy ran away in fear of her.

The leader of the fort saw what a good soldier she was. One day he realized that she was a young girl who came from his village. She asked him not to be sent back with the women. She wanted to defend the fort like a man. He let her choose to fight where she wanted. She always chose to go where the fighting was worst.

For over five months she fought like a lion for the Faith that she loved so much. Often she went without food or sleep. When she did sleep, she used her shield for a blanket. One day seeing her friends overcome by the enemy, she rushed to help them. She fought very bravery and chased away many of the enemies. Finally, she was shot and killed by many bullets.

Zaynab's story had a happy ending because she got what she wanted most. She died defending the Cause of God.