"Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8)

Many a betrayed lover might well question that assertion. But the writer would not contest the myriad instances of love's demise within human relationships. Rather, he seeks to highlight the provisional nature of things other than love, to which some religious folk attach too much importance--powerful preaching, ecstatic manifestations, theological acuity. These will have their day and pass into oblivion. But love is eternal.