We now know that Columbus described himself as being the one whose main mission was not to find gold and silver but, as we know because he quoted John 10 in his journal, he saw his main mission as to find "lost sheep somewhere." Columbus attributed his success to the Lord.
Grant Hardy, "Columbus: By Faith or Reason?" in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), 32–35.
Arnold K. Garr, Christopher Columbus A Latter-Day Saint Perspective, ed. Arnold K. Garr (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992).