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"Do you know how these three virtues stand together?
It is, as if a circle were drawn on the surface of
the earth, and a tree, with an off-shoot joined to
its side, grew in the center of the circle. The tree
is nourished in the earth contained in the diameter
of the circle, for if the tree were out of the earth
it would die, and give no fruit.
"Now, consider, in
the same way, that the soul is a tree existing by
love, and that it can live by nothing else than love;
and, that if this soul have not in very truth the
divine love of perfect charity, she cannot produce
fruit of life, but only of death. It is necessary
then, that the root of this tree, that is the
affection of the soul, should grow in, and issue from
the circle of true self-knowledge which is contained
in Me, who have neither beginning nor end, like the
circumference of the circle, for, turn as you will
within a circle, inasmuch as the circumference has
neither end nor beginning, you always remain within
it.
"This knowledge of yourself and of Me is found in the
earth of true humility, which is as wide as the
diameter of the circle, that is as the knowledge of
self and of Me (for, otherwise, the circle would not
be without end and beginning, but would have its
beginning in knowledge of self, and its end in
confusion, if this knowledge were not contained in
Me).
"Then the tree of love feeds itself on humility,
bringing forth from its side the off-shoot of true
discretion, in the way that I have already told you,
from the heart of the tree, that is the affection of
love which is in the soul, and the patience, which
proves that I am in the soul and the soul in Me.
"This
tree then, so sweetly planted, produces fragrant
blossoms of virtue, with many scents of great
variety, inasmuch as the soul renders fruit of grace
and of utility to her neighbor, according to the zeal
of those who come to receive fruit from My servants;
and to Me she renders the sweet odor of glory and
praise to My Name, and so fulfills the object of her
creation.
"In this way, therefore, she reaches the term of her
being, that is Myself, her God, who am Eternal Life.
And these fruits cannot be taken from her without her
will, inasmuch as they are all flavored with
discretion, because they are all united, as has been
said above."
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