As an experienced artist, Sister Kristin M. Yee — second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — knows a thing or two about building color.
“When I paint,” she told listeners during a Thursday devotional held as part of BYU Education Week, “there are certain colors that only come with layers of paint and glazes built upon each other.”
They don’t come “straight out of a tube,” she said. “They come with layers or, in other words, time and experience.”
“Symbolically, some of the most beautiful parts of our lives only come with layers of life, experience, challenges, heartache, growth and trusting our whole heart and soul to God,” she continued, adding that her own challenges have helped her come to know God in a way she wouldn’t have otherwise.
Through this and other stories and analogies, Sister Yee shared with listeners seven principles which, when layered together, have the potential to help individuals “become pure vessels in the hands of the Lord.”
1. Realize ‘what you have to offer is good’
Sister Yee told listeners they each have gifts, personalities, experiences and perspectives that are needed now, and that God would not waste their “consecrated efforts.”
“He knows where you need to be and the sphere of influence that you have,” she said. “He also knows who you need in life and who you will be influenced by.”
Sister Yee then invited listeners to identify their gifts with gratitude and know “there are more gifts to come.”
She also echoed the words of Sister Camilla E. Kimball, wife of the late church President Spencer W. Kimball, who taught individuals should “never suppress a generous thought.”
“What you have to offer, my sisters and brothers, is good,” Sister Yee said. “Follow the generous impressions of your heart and minister as (Christ) would.”
2. ‘Keep your heart soft, yielding to the Spirit’
Sister Yee taught individuals should strive to keep their hearts “soft, yielding to the Spirit,” even amid life’s trials and challenges.
“The Lord will never abandon us,” she taught. “We are at his gentle, powerful hands.”
Sister Yee then shared how her trials have helped her build a relationship with God and enabled her to see him “do the impossible in (her) life.” She also briefly shared the testimony of a Latter-day Saint woman, Jill McAuley, who she connected with at a conference held a few months ago.
According to Sister Yee, McAuley was in a car accident 25 years ago that left her a quadriplegic at 18 years old.
“It has been a journey filled with many lessons,” Sister Yee said that McAuley wrote to her in a letter. “I work daily to resist Satan’s pull towards bitterness, which my situation might seem to justify. … (But) I love sharing my testimony of Jesus Christ.
“He means everything to me because my relationship with him has come at a high cost.”
Sister Yee explained McAuley’s conviction and relationship with God are “fruits” of a life turned to God, colors “that only come with layers.”
3. Minister and be ministered to
Sister Yee said ministering and receiving others’ ministering efforts allows one to build “compassion, understanding, purpose, belonging and peace.”
“When we give the Savior’s love and relief, we are blessed to find our own relief in him,” she said. She also said doing so allows Latter-day Saints to fulfill their covenant responsibilities.
“We cannot keep our covenants without each other,” she said, “so let us be patient with each other as we learn to be like Jesus and be good ministers.”
4. Seek to do things in ‘the Lord’s way’
Sister Yee turned to the Old Testament example of David, the future king of Israel, to teach how seeking to do things in “the Lord’s way” prepares individuals to become “vessels of the Lord.”
By seeking God’s wisdom in his interactions with Saul, his enemy, David was “being prepared for greater things,” Sister Yee taught. “You and I are also being prepared for greater things, as we choose to deal with difficult, complex, hurtful or offensive situations in the Lord’s way.”
Sister Yee also talked of David’s battle with Goliath, inviting listeners to likewise “turn to the Lord” instead of their spheres in times of battle and offense.
5. Worship regularly in the temple
Regular worship in the temple increases individuals’ capacity for both charity and virtue, Sister Yee said, referencing President Russell M. Nelson’s teachings from April 2025 general conference.
She said, “Of all the things the prophet felt impressed to teach us in preparation for the Lord’s coming, it was to increase our capacity for charity — the pure love of Jesus Christ — and virtue.”
Sister Yee then connected striving for virtuous thoughts to looking to Christ in every thought, testifying that both pursuits strengthen one’s access to God’s power to “overcome the world.”
6. Let God ‘carry what you cannot’
Partnering with God and seeking his strength and counsel in all things is “one of the greatest blessings” of covenants, Sister Yee taught. She explained that because of Jesus Christ, individuals need not carry their “burdens” alone.
“The Lord is not limited by mortal restraints,” she said. “The Lord has time for you. You are not a burden to him. He loves you and desires to help you.”
She then shared the story of a swimmer she saw rescued from the ocean’s pull. Jesus Christ is the “greatest rescuer of all mankind,” one more “powerful than any bondage you might be under,” Sister Yee declared.
7. ‘Turn it to the wall’
Sister Yee invited listeners to trust in God that they may not “run faster than (they) have strength.” She shared that when she paints, it’s often hard for her to step away because she always sees more to be done. So she’s learned to “turn it to the wall.”
“I realized early on that I needed to literally turn my painting to face the wall before I could go to sleep at night,” she said. “Sisters and brothers, the Lord can help us to know how to find rest and to know when to turn it to the wall.”
She continued by teaching that the Holy Ghost can help each person “know what is enough, what is most important and what can fall by the wayside.”
