Good God, teach me to make good use of the time You give me to work, to use it well without wasting it.
Teach me to take advantage of the mistakes of the past without being scrupled by qualms.
Teach me to design without torment, to imagine the work without being distressed if it is different.
Teach me to combine haste with slowness, serenity with fervor, zeal for peace.
Help me at the beginning of my work, where I am weakest.
Help me, in the heart of my work, to keep my attention alive and, above all, to fill the gaps in my work.
In all the efforts of my hands, leave a sign of Your grace to speak to others and a flaw of mine to speak to myself.
Keep in me the hope of perfection, without which I would become discouraged.
Keep me in the impotence of perfection, without which I would be overcome by pride.
Purify my gaze: if I work badly, I'm not sure if this is bad; if I work well, I'm not sure if this is good.
Teach me to pray with my hands, with my arms, and with all my strength.
Remind me that the work of my hands belongs to you and that it is my duty to give it to you, making it a gift.
That if I work for pleasure, like a forgotten bin, I will rot in the autumn;
That if I work to please others, like a flower, I will wither in the night.
But if I work for the good, I will remain in goodness.
And to work well is at the same time to work for peace.
