Alma understands that the ability to repent is a blessing. For a people as hard-hearted as the Ammonihahites, there must be an initial change before they can begin to repent. This blessing of seeing a vision of change, so that they begin to repent, is a gift from God, should they open their hearts enough to receive it. As he wraps up his argument, Alma restates his major theme: Repent or suffer the second death.