Even though temples are located throughout the world, many of our members in Asia do not live near a temple. Consequently, they may not see the possibility of attending the temple in the near future. It is important, however, that we live worthily every day to attend the temple, so we will be ready when the opportunity comes.

A few years ago I had an experience in the Houston Texas Temple that has given me greater insight into the importance of the temple and the way I live my life.

The Houston Temple was under construction, but nearing completion, when I had the opportunity to walk through the temple with Brother Rowley who was the supervisor of the temple construction.

As we walked from his temporary office (a construction trailer on the temple site), he reviewed with me some of the special considerations that contractors who wish to bid on the temple must know. They are told that building a temple will be different from any other building they have built. They are also told that we believe the temple is the House of the Lord and that it requires the finest of workmanship. They are then given a list of requirements that they need to consider in their bid.

First, they are told that the construction sight must not be cluttered and that it must stay clean and organized. As we walked through the Houston Temple that day, even though it was a busy day for the workers, there was very little clutter, and we could walk through the rooms without walking around or over piles of construction debris. As the workers finished a project, they cleaned up after themselves and disposed of the trash.

Second, they are told that “all” the rooms in the temple will be finished and painted. That day in the temple, every room was painted white. Even the storage rooms and the mechanical rooms were all painted. There were no dark places in the temple.

Third, they are told that there is to be no graffiti on the walls of the temple. Often, workers will write inappropriate things on the walls at construction sites. Walking through the temple that day, Brother Rowley shared an incident he had experienced a few days previously. He had noticed some inappropriate words written on a wall of the temple and reminded the contractor of their agreement. The following day, he noticed that the words had been painted over. He went to the contractor again and told him that those words were still on the wall of the temple and needed to be removed. The next morning, the paint and the words were sanded off the wall of the temple.

Fourth, the contractors are told that initially one room will be finished to temple quality, so the workers will know how to finish all of the rooms in the temple. The large sealing room of the Houston Temple had been selected to be finished to temple quality. As we walked into that sealing room, I noticed that it was painted with shiny white enamel paint, which made any imperfections in the workmanship more visible. I also noticed some little red dots on the door casings and on and the moldings. I asked about the red dots and was informed by Brother Rowley that at the end of each day, he inspects the workmanship to see if there are any imperfections. If additional work is needed to make it perfect, he places a little red dot to indicate the area to be re-finished. The following day, the workers will putty, sand, and repaint until it is acceptable.

As I walked through the temple that day, a scripture found in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 came to my mind. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

As I reflected on the great lengths the Church goes to in constructing our beautiful temples, I was reminded that we must do all we can to keep our minds and our bodies clean and pure.

First, we must not allow the ways of the world to clutter our lives. The Savior said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Often, too many worldly things keep us from our prayers, scripture reading, and Church duties. “Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems, and there are so many things clamoring for attention at once, that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seems to lift, and we can ‘see’ things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known.” (Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple [2002], 36]

Second, we must see that there are no dark places in our lives. The Savior has invited all to come unto him through repentance. “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins – behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” Doctrine and Covenants 58:42-43 President Hinckley reminds us that we have Bishops who are men of experience and understanding, who will listen with confidentiality and help us to repent and be forgiven.

Third, we must be aware of the graffiti that can come into our lives through inappropriate books, music, movies, television or language. Also, President Gordon B. Hinckley has recently cautioned us against having tattoos and body piercing. We may need to use “putty, sandpaper and painting” which could be compared to repentance to rid us of the graffiti that may have come into our lives.

Fourth, we finish our bodies, “which are the temple of God,” to temple quality as we understand the temple recommend interview questions and are worthy to respond favorably to each one.