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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B The other day I read that some of the most stunning cathedrals took around 300 years to build. The people who first laid stones knew they wouldn’t be alive to see the finished beauty. Having grown up in inner-city London, I’m aware there are longstanding issues in my community. Youth violence is one of them. A sense of urgency can be helpful, but knee jerk reactions don’t tend to work. Real change takes a lot of dedication, and a lot of time. I’m doing workshops in Prisons this week as part of Prison Week 2025, and one thing I’ve learnt, is how complex life can be for young people. Adverse childhood experiences, undiagnosed trauma, a reduction in youth services, school exclusions, poverty, inequality, and a lack of jobs can all contribute to complications later on in life. Sometimes I feel dejected, like anything I do is just a drop in the ocean. But remembering those cathedrals, maybe drops in the ocean are okay. I may not see an end to youth violence in my lifetime, but if I play my part, maybe someone else will. That makes the idea of a collective effort more appealing. I went to Rome last month and I visited a few incredible cathedrals. It’s clear to see that kind of beauty doesn’t happen overnight. That thought gives me impetus to keep going. When my son is older, he might ask what I did about the challenges of our time. My prayer is that I’m able to answer proudly, knowing that with God’s help I did what I could, and stood on the right side of history. Amen