At the end of the chapter, the author makes a wonderful comparison between the marks of true repentance vis-à-vis false repentance. Yet, the degree of personal objectivity and ability required to judge one's own emotions and progress as suggested in this book is in reality very hard to even begin achieving. The use of the imagination and emotions in encountering what God has to say to you from his word is gently and easily put. Embracing mystical styles of reflection and prayer such as Ignatian contemplative prayer, he encourages the reader to identify and counter whatever desires are not oriented towards God.

As such, any reader whose interest is piqued by this book may well wish to attend an Ignatian Spiritual Exercises retreat, and then use the book as a guide to their on-going reflections. Yet it has provided a highly accessible way for readers to be introduced to the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises without having to go the usual route of attending a retreat under the supervision of a spiritual director.Our inner selves can tell us the direction our lives should take and supply the inspiration and energy to take it.

Hughes found human beings complicated "with layers upon layers of consciousness", most of which we never break through. Religion, as it is often presented and understood, not only fails to give importance to the awareness of one’s inner self, but even actively discourages it. Above all, it is a useful book – a book to be used by those who find it hard to forgive themselves: the stumblers and agnostics who hardly dare believe that God is within them.I read it a few years ago and was captivated by his thoughts about finding God in unexpected places - such as in ourselves as he has made us in his image. It feels like an enormous handbrake turn for the book to take as it should be concluding and as a result it doesn't really feel finished. Faulty understanding of these two important events in Christ’s life contribute to producing a distorted image of God and deter us from our spiritual journey. Hughes' premise in this book is that all people, as God's cherished creation, have a treasure hidden inside them, which is their unique identity and relationship with God, through the Holy Spirit.