Sometimes, periodically, and partially just won’t do.
The perfect game. An undefeated season. A 4.0 grade point average.
It’s difficult to be perfect.
Musicians practice hour after hour, repeatedly playing the same piece of music. Mastering the melody. Resting as written. Breathing correctly. Hitting the proper notes and doing so for the right duration. Performing the piece exactly as written. Hour upon hour pursuing performance perfection.
It’s difficult to be perfect.
Ten Thousand Hours to Master a Skill
Researchers say mastering a particular skill or subject takes ten thousand hours. Equaling 1,250 eight-hour days. Nearly five years of forty-hour work weeks.
It’s difficult to be perfect.
Complete in Him
Surely Paul knew this when he called his readers to completeness in various areas. 
Reading through his letters to the Thessalonians, we find he regularly used words that are absolutes. He used 100-percent words, such as always, never, completely, and all. Within these short letters, Paul plainly pointed disciples to perfection.
Paul did this with the clear knowledge that these people were not perfect. In fact, they were far from perfect. He saw gaps in their faith. He noted that some were lazy, timid, and weak. Some Thessalonians refused to work. Others were gossips. Some continued to struggle with sexual sins.
Still Paul pointed them toward completeness.
How then should imperfect followers of Christ manage this high calling to perfection?
Of Paul’s many insights on the subject, this series provides a glimpse of four absolutes that help disciples succeed: Absolute Salvation, Absolute Knowledge, Absolute Patience, and Absolute Testing.
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