It is not enough to proclaim the Bahá'í message, essential
as that is. It is not enough to expand the rolls of Bahá'í membership, vital as
that is. Souls must be transformed, communities thereby consolidated, new
models of life thus attained. Transformation is the essential purpose of the
Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, but it lies in the will and effort of the individual to
achieve it in obedience to the Covenant. Necessary to the progress of this
life-fulfilling transformation is knowledge of the will and purpose of God
through regular reading and study of the Holy Word.
- The Universal House of Justice (Ridván 1989, message to the Bahá'ís of
the World; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Cultural Diversity
in the Age of Maturity)
