God's Grace Leads Upward

We have all “sinned, and come short of the glory of God”¹⁰‍ and because “there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God,”¹¹‍ every one of us is unworthy to return to God’s presence.  Even if we were to serve God with our whole souls, it is not enough, for we would still be “unprofitable servants.”¹²‍ We cannot earn our way into heaven; the demands of justice stand as a barrier, which we are powerless to overcome on our own.  But all is not lost.  The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope.

The grace of God does not merely restore us to our previous innocent state. If salvation means only erasing our mistakes and sins, then salvation—as wonderful as it is—does not fulfill the Father’s aspirations for us. His aim is much higher: He wants His sons and daughters to become like Him.  With the gift of God’s grace, the path of discipleship does not lead backward; it leads upward.  It leads to heights we can scarcely comprehend!

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - April 2015 General Conference "The Gift of Grace"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-gift-of-grace?lang=eng