The scriptures describe the Restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church as “a great and a marvelous work” (1 Nephi 14:7; 3 Nephi 21:9). In this context, the word great means significant and meaningful, while marvelous means wonderful and incomprehensible. Work speaks of an act or accomplishment that is everlasting.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that the significance of the Church is two-fold: “This church, the great institutional body of Christ, is a marvelous work and a wonder not only because of what it does for the faithful but also because of what the faithful do for it. Your lives are at the very heart of that marvel. You are evidence of the wonder of it all” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 32).