8 things the Atonement is not

The Atonement is not just about immediate perfection but also eventual perfection...

Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment if that perfection is not attained.  Because Christ took that punishment for us, He can now provide a different arrangement.  He calls for eventual perfection and offers to support us throughout the process.  We don't go to church and partake of the sacrament because we are perfect but because we are willing to be perfected.  We don't go to the temple because we have made it, but because within those walls God and Christ are making us more like Them.  They could change us in an instant, but strength so easily attained is not strength at all.  This is why, as Christ and Heavenly Father change us from human to divine, They typically do it the same way that a child learns to walk-over time.  Time is the medium through which the power of the Atonement is made manifest in our lives.

Enduring to the end doesn't just mean to the end of the week, month, year, or even the end of this life.  Enduring to the end means enduring to our ultimate end--becoming more like God and Jesus.