I think there’s plenty of evidence that the change of heart is a gift of the Spirit, dependent upon the Spirit, but I also think there’s plenty of evidence that for most of us (Alma the Younger, Saul, and a few other notable exceptions), *we* have the start the process by humbling ourselves and inviting the Spirit to act on us. And certainly to keep that change of heart, to be able “to sing the song of redeeming love,” we do need to take action ourselves, by praying and keeping the commandments and continuous repentance.

The parable of the laborers comes to mind, too — remember the master who hired workers at each hour through the day, and ended up paying them all the same whether they had worked all day or only an hour. That might encourage people who get a late start … but there’s no excuse for not showing up as early in the day as possible. If a changed heart leads to greater happiness in this life, greater enjoyment of gospel blessings, better avoidance of sin, a better life shared with people we love, who wouldn’t want to start as soon as possible? Your hypothetical young person who dies early is better off having started young, even if she isn’t fully converted before her death. She’ll have a chance to continue growing and learning. We all will, no matter how early or conversion comes or how long a life we have to work on it — none of us is going to leave this life ready for immediate exaltation!

If this were a class, I wouldn’t have done all the talking. I might have made a suggestion or two, then opened it up for contributions from others. Anybody?