Not one who has begun, but one who shall persevere unto the end, they shall be saved. There are many who begin, few who persevere. Perseverance is the singular daughter of the high king, the goal of virtues and their consummation, repository of all good, a virtue without which no one shall see God, nor shall one be seen by God. It is the end unto justice for everyone who believes. By perseverance, the collected virtues consecrate their sacred marriage bed.
For what is the use of running only to quit the course before the goal? The apostle says, So run that you may obtain. O, how persistent was the foot of the one who competed the course and said, I have finished my course!
Bernard of Clairvaux, Monastic Sermons, Sermon 41: “Concerning the Seven Steps of Obedience” v. 10 (CF 68, pages 221f.)