A fragment of hieromonk Nikon's letter As for the conditions of our living together, this is a complex and, simultaneously, very simple thing. It's complex because it's difficult to write in a letter about everything that the former monastery now represents, and about everything that we experience and undertake. And it's simple because in according to psalmist's words 'Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain'. Of course, it is necessary to do actions that are possible and that are prompted by common sense and that are not in conflict with the spirit of Christian and monastic life, but when we are doing them the success should be expected entirely from the Lord's hand. The human pride tells: 'We will do it, we will reach it'. And we begin to build the tower of Babylon, we demand a report from Lord about his actions, we want to be rulers of the universe, we dream of heavenly thrones... but nobody and nothing obeys to human pride, and human impotence has been clearly proving by bitter experience. Observing this experience from the history and ancient long past and present days, I have come to the conclusion that the ways of divine providence are incomprehensible for us, we cannot understand them, and therefore we must surrender ourselves to the Lord with all humility. This is the first. Next the second: nobody and nothing can harm a man if he does not hurt himself. On the contrary if somebody does not shy away from a sin then even thousand saving means will not help. Therefore the only evil is a sin. Judas fell while he was with the Savior, but the righteous Lot was saved in Sodom. These and similar thoughts come to my mind when I learn by reading the saints and when I look mentally at surrounding events.