As a merchant gathers various goods from different countries and carries them home and stores them up, so the Christian may gather edifying thoughts and lay them up in the storeroom of his heart, and enrich his soul with them.

Drawing upon numerous examples from daily life and human relationships, St Tikhon weaves together wisdom on how to live a life pleasing to God. His words are frequently embellished by scripture and together these call the reader to repentance and a fuller embrace of godly living. In a world that typically only values material goods his writing constantly reminds the reader of that which is of true value — the knowledge and love of God.

The reader also finds encouragement in the struggle to overcome sin and to acquire virtue which is the fundamental battle of the Christian as the war is waged against the passions. It is a fight worth the effort. St Tikhon’s message is clear: True riches are not of this world, but of the age to come. These riches both can and should be acquired now. As the reader progresses deeper into this work his soul will find refreshment, purpose and meaning for his life.