Chapter 58: The reception of candidates for the community (paragraphs 1-3)

If, then, a newcomer goes on knocking at the door and after four or five days has given sufficient evidence of patient perseverance and does not waver from the the request for entry but accepts the rebuffs and difficulties put in the way, then let a postulant with that strength of purpose be received and given accommodation in the guest quarters for a few days. 

(From para. 2 of Ch. 53 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

It's sometimes easy for me to experience waiting, or its odd relative, procrastination, as kinds of psychic traffic jams. But in fact, through meditation, I learn that these apparent stoppages are grace-filled opportunities for listening, guiding me to discern when to persevere, when to change. And mostly, to trust in God.