My daughter Emma Hicken, gave this talk in church today

One of my favorite paintings is a work by Georges Seurat called “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” As you stand before the large canvas, measuring about 6.5 feet by 10 feet, the first thing that strikes you is the sheer scale and vibrancy of the scene. It depicts a blissful afternoon along the banks of the Siene and features groups of people lounging, children playing, and boats floating downstream.

From a distance, the painting looks remarkably cohesive, almost like a snapshot of a bright, idyllic day. The figures are clear, the colors vivid, and the landscape lush. However, as you move closer, the magical effect of Seurat’s technique becomes apparent. The painting is not made of traditional brushstrokes but instead composed of thousands of tiny, distinct dots of pure color—this is the technique known as pointillism. Each dot seems simple and independent, but when you step back, the dots visually blend together, forming detailed figures, vibrant trees, shimmering water, and the texture of the grassy park.

The effect is almost like seeing the painting in motion—dynamic and living. The colors, though individual dots of pure pigment, harmonize in a way that your eyes automatically mix them into soft blends, giving a glowing, almost ethereal quality to the scene. The dots of bright reds, blues, greens, and yellows interact in ways that seem to pulse with life, making the park appear alive with both light and movement.

In essence, seeing A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is like witnessing the intricate dance of tiny, purposeful actions coming together to form something deeply meaningful and beautiful. Similarly, in our lives, each individual virtue—no matter how small it may seem—plays a critical role in creating a virtuous life. When we carefully add each virtue to our lives, they combine to form a beautiful, Christlike character. Just like Seurat’s dots, each individual virtue may seem small or simple, but together, they create something far greater.

In 2010, my dad started a multi decade long study on the many virtues found in the scriptures based on the color wheel. A color wheel is a circular diagram that shows how colors relate to each other. It is split into 12 separate colors of the rainbow and uses terms like primary, secondary, tertiary, and complementary colors. My dad noted that there are three primary virtues in Christianity (charity, hope, and faith) just as there are three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). He assigned each virtue to a primary color and then filled in the remaining 9 spots on the wheel with other virtues the gospel espouses. If you are a visual learner, you can see this color wheel at virtuewheel.com. Setting up virtues like this allows us to make some interesting observations on the importance of developing an array of virtues and applying them in balance.  

The lord encourages in scriptures, general conference, and personal revelation to develop a full spectrum of virtues. He lists some important ones in doctrine and covenants 4:6, saying
“Remember that faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence, and all other virtues are essential in building the kingdom of God.”
The virtue wheel gives us a visual representation of why no single virtue is enough on its own and each one builds on the other. Red melts into orange and orange melts into yellow, showing us that as we grow in meekness we begin to develop humility, and as we are more humble we begin to be more patient. Developing only one virtue is like painting a work of art that consists of only one color. Most of us would look a canvas of red splattered paint hanging in an art gallery and say “a 4 year old could do that!” It’s true, just like a 4 year old it capable of showing the virtues of love, meekness, humility, joy, and patience. But the lord wants us to create lives like vibrant masterpieces that use a full rainbow of colors.

Another observation the virtue wheel allows us to make is the importance of applying virtues in balance. On the wheel, virtues on opposite sides of the wheel balance each other out, just like blue complements orange. For example, reverence and joy are both important virtues, but taken to extremes they can become vices. Reverence without bounds can become fanatical or critical, and joy without bounds might become light minded or gluttony. In this way, reverence tempered with joy and joy tempered with reverence can help us to act in harmony with the lords teachings. As we apply all the virtues in balance, we can become true disciples of Christ, just as Seurat’s individual points of colors became a world-renown masterpiece.

But how do we apply all the virtues in balance? The apostle Peter gave us a roadmap to develop virtue In 2 Peter 1. He explained that God has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” and gave “us exceeding great and precious promises” which we can partake of through divine nature. Peter continues, saying:

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

As we continue adding virtue upon virtue to our lives, we start to see a fuller picture emerging, much like Seurat’s painting became clearer as more dots were added. The more virtues we develop, the more complete our spiritual lives become, until we are fully aligned with Christ’s teachings.

Merely learning about these virtues is not sufficient, we must strive to apply them in small actions daily. Just as Seurat’s painting was created with intentional, small dots of color that together formed a masterpiece, so too can our lives be transformed as we add the dots of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, mutual affection, and charity.

When you look at “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte” up close, the image can feel abstract, almost confusing, with the dots creating a patchwork of color. But as you step back, the scene coalesces—figures become people, trees become full of life, and the water appears to shimmer in the sunlight. Like Seurat’s painting, our virtuous lives may seem a collection of small moments, but when viewed as a whole, it reflects the glory of God and the character of Christ. The longer you look at the painting, the more you notice: the gentle ripples of the river, the play of sunlight on the grass, and the sense of peaceful interaction between people and nature. Similarly, each virtue is not an isolated trait but an interconnected part of the larger picture of a Christlike life. As we work to develop each virtue, we become more aligned with God’s will, creating a life that is a testimony to His love.

The scene in Seurat’s painting invites you to linger, to be part of the quiet, reflective moment of the day—just like the people in the painting, whose leisurely activities seem to convey a serene escape from the hustle of daily life. It’s an experience of noticing the richness and subtlety of life, as Seurat’s careful dots build something far greater than their individual parts just as balanced and intentional application of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, mutual affection, and charity will build our lives into ones prepared for eternal life and everlasting glory.