"When you become aware of the increasing fire

of your love for God and inner faith in him,

then you should realize

that you are bringing Christ to birth

within your soul.

It is He who is lifting your soul

high above its earthly and visible limitations

and preparing a dwelling place for it in the heavens.

When you experience your heart filled with joy

and consumed with yearning for God's ineffable blessings,

then know that the divine Spirit

is working within you.

When you feel your intellect filled with ineffable light

and spiritual understandings of transcendent wisdom,

then recognize that the Paraclete

is actively present in your soul,

uncovering the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven

that lie hidden within it."

-- Niketas Stethatos