When you feel like quitting, “keep on keeping on” and you’ll get what runners call their second wind. That’s the power which propels them to the finish line and makes them winners. It’s why the Bible says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres” (Jas 1:12 NIV).

Ever heard of Thomas Starzl? He became interested in organ transplants as a surgery resident in medical school. In 1958 he sewed new livers into dogs whose livers had been removed, but all of them died within two days of the operation. A year later he found a way to stabilize circulation, and the dogs lived for a week. In March 1963 he performed the first human liver transplant, but his patient bled to death. That failure, and the hepatitis epidemic that spread through artificial transplant centers worldwide during the 1960’s, forced his liver transplant program to be abandoned. But he refused to quit. In 1968 Starzl reported the results from new transplant trials. All seven children involved had survived, although four died within six months - an encouraging, but not stellar result. By 1975 only two liver transplant programs were left in the world. Twenty-three years after he first began, Starzl and his team found success: nineteen out of twenty-two patients lived for long periods. Starzl was criticized, even vilified by the medical establishment. But he persevered. And we should be glad he did. Today liver transplants are routinely performed around the world and people who had no hope are now living happy and productive lives. So, whatever your assignment, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you.”