The external world, with its beauty, acts favorably on a man, and a soul capable of enjoying the beauty of the world becomes exalted. But a man who has achieved perfection sees in his soul such beauty before which the visible world is worthless. Concerning the soul of a man who loves God, the Lord said: “And we will come and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23). It is inscrutable how the Lord Himself dwells in a little heart, but where the Lord is, there is paradise and the Kingdom of God. “The kingdom of God is within you”. (Luke 17:21)

Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina
Living without Hypocrisy