Alma establishes a further dimension of the contrast between faith and hardened hearts. Those with enduring faith are called to the holy order of the priesthood of God, whereas those with hardened hearts renounce claim to this supreme opportunity and blessing. We are continually blessed according to our faith and good works, both in the premortal realm and in mortality. We were prepared for our callings here upon the earth long before our birth. In the premortal courts of heaven we received our “first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men” (D&C 138:56).