Evolution, which is the continuous and orderly progress of beings and of worlds, constitutes a divine law to which all of creation is subjected.  But how does this process work?

To begin, we must understand that the ultimate goal in a spirit's evolution is for it to reach a state of perfection, defined as a "condition of pure and eternal happiness"¹. You might wonder why God did not create spirits perfect to begin with, thereby avoiding all the suffering experienced along the course of a gradual advancement.  Well, just as we on Earth appreciate and value more that which we acquire or accomplish through hard work and struggle, the efforts of a spirit to improve and grow allow it to earn and appreciate the supreme happiness that comes with reaching its perfection. Such progress is not possible within the limits of one single, material lifetime.  Therefore, God allows spirits many opportunities for incarnation, so that what a spirit does not finish in one life may be accomplished in subsequent lives.