Two frogs fell in a pail of cream. One frog swam around for a while, but eventually gave up and drowned.
The second frog refused to quit. This frog persisted. He paddled and paddled. It seemed hopeless—but there was hope. The second frog persisted in paddling until the cream started to turn to butter. Then, the second frog jumped out of the pail to safety.
“Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight…and suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are in bed. I can’t help you.’… If you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” Luke 11:5-8 (NLT)
“May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” Romans 15:13 (MSG)