ilege and sectarian
quarrels, and reached their end with their ultimate purpose frustrated.

Baha'u'llah has come to free humanity from this long bondage, and the
closing decades of the twentieth century were devoted by the community of
His followers to creative experimentation with the means by which His
objective can be realized. The prosecution of the Divine Plan entails no
less than the involvement of the entire body of humankind in the work of
its own spiritual, social and intellectual development. The trials
encountered by the Baha'i community in the decades since 1963 are those
necessary ones that refine endeavour and purify motivation so as to render
those who would take part worthy of so great a trust. Such tests are the
surest evidences of that process of maturation which 'Abdu'l-Baha so
confidently described:

Some movements appear, manifest a brief period of activity, then
discontinue. Others show forth a greater measure of growth and strength,
but before attaining mature development, weaken, disintegrate and are lost
in oblivion.... There is still another kind of movement or cause which
from a very small, inconspicuous beginning goes forward with sure and
steady progress, gradually broadening and widening until it has assumed
universal dimensions. The Baha'i Movement is of this nature.(130)

X

Baha'u'llah's mission is not limited to the building of the Baha'i
community. The Revelation of God has come for the whole of humanity, and
it will win the support of the institutions of society to the extent that
they find in its example encouragement and inspiration for their efforts
to lay the foundations of a just society. To appreciate the importance of
this parallel concern, one has only to recall the time and care that
Baha'u'llah Himself devoted to cultivating relationships with government
officials, leaders of thought, prominent figures in various minority
groups, and the diplomatic representatives of foreign governments assigned
to service in the Ottoman empire. The spiritual effect of this effort is
apparent in the tributes paid to His character and principles by even such
bitter enemies as 'Ali Pa_sh_a and the Persian ambassador to
Constantinople, Mirza Husayn _Kh_an. The former, who condemned his
Prisoner to banishment in the penal colony at 'Akka, was nevertheless
moved to describe Him as "a man of great distinction, exemplary conduct,
great moderation, and a most dignified figure", whose t