Mormon 7:7

And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

Because Christ has redeemed us, we can in fact pass before the judgment bar of God totally guiltless. We can be perfect in Christ. And then note the next phrase: it will be given to us to dwell with God. To live in the presence of the Father and the Son is a gift. First, Christ has to erase our sons, which is totally a gift of his love and mercy. And then when he has cleaned us all up through his perfect sacrifice, he gives us the gift of eternal life with him in the presence of Heavenly Father, which we totally do not deserve! The whole idea is beyond comprehension and truly humbling. As Elder Holland once said, how thrilling it must be for God to be merciful to those who least expect it and don't think they deserve it. Of course we won't really have time to stand around all day and sing songs of praise in a heavenly choir,  but we will feel like it as we are filled to overflowing with gratitude as we begin to comprehend the gift we have received.

Helaman 5:11

And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

Of all the powers given to Jesus, the power to redeem us is the greatest. Through this power Christ can right every wrong, repair every injustice, heal every wound, and remove every sin. He can bring equality to all who have suffered the inequalities of mortality. He has the power to make us an exalted seat right next to his on the throne of heaven, as if we were his equals. That is power indeed!

Helaman 3:35

Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

As these people's humility grew, so did their faith in Christ. It became firm, then solid, then un-bendable, then unbreakable. Humility and faith go hand in hand. The more humble we are, the more we see the need to depend on God. The more we depend on him, the more he can help us. The more he helps us, the better we come to know him. And the better we know him, the more we trust him. Trust us another word for faith. By faith, we act with growing confidence on our beliefs.

The more thoroughly we trust God, and the more evidence we acquire of his love for, and interest, in us, the more joy we experience. How can we not feel exquisite joy when we know that the Supreme Being in the universe knows us and cares about us?  How can we not rejoice in knowing this earth, life itself, and the grand plan of salvation were created to lift us to exaltation with God?

One additional note: we do not purify and sanctify our own hearts. We can only yield them to God. It is by his power through the Savior's Atonement that our hearts are changed.

Helaman 3:27-30

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

If I were marooned on a desert island and could have only one small section of scripture to keep me company, I might choose these four short verses. Mormon sums up a series of lessons learned by the Nephites during a period of relative peace following many years of war. These are truths about how God works with his children in all ages of the world. This brief discourse sums up the whole Gospel of Christ:

1. God is merciful when we sincerely repent.
2. Everyone who repents is welcome in the church and kingdom of God.
3. True members of God's kingdom believe in Christ.
4. We choose belief and faith. 
5. The word of God is not just the written scriptures. It is also revelation, both through the prophet and personally to each of us.  We must choose to receive and obey revelation.
6. Revelation from God is life-giving and powerful to change our lives. 
7. When we live the gospel, we can avoid and overcome the temptations of Satan. The gospel leads on a strict path back to God.
8. To live with God permanently is our ultimate goal and destination.
9. We can look forward to the same exaltation as the patriarchs and prophets. 

Alma 37:36

Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

God should be first in our lives. He is not an afterthought, he is our first thought. All that we do should be with an eye single to God. It may seem extreme and impractical to direct every habitual, mundane act towards God. But if we are doing things without understanding how they either serve God directly or enable us to serve him, we have good cause to challenge why we are doing them at all. We spend so much of our lives engaged in distractions!

This attitude is based on the following premises:

1. God is real.
2. God knows us.
3. God cares about what we do and is willing to be involved in the details of our lives.
4. God wants not only to save us but to exalt us.

If any element of this hypothesis is false, then eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. But if these four assertions are true, we have far more in store for us in this life and the next than we can even imagine.

Alma 25:6

For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness.

The purpose of afflictions is not to punish us but to stir us up to remember God. When we let them work in us the way God intends them to work, afflictions are marvelous blessings that bring us to God and enrich our relationship with him. His goal is not to make us comfortable but to make us joint-heirs with Christ.

Alma 13:12

Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.

To be made pure is to be redeemed, and to enter into the rest of the Lord is to have one's calling and election made sure. That exceedingly many have had this experience gives us hope. It is not impossible, and it is not rare.

Alma 12:34

Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.

According to D&C 84:24 the "rest of the Lord" is the fullness of his glory. In other words, exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Thus we have the formula for exaltation: repent, harden not our hearts, and claim Christ's mercy through the Atonement. We keep our hearts from hardening when we keep trying to keep the commandments even though we fail constantly. When we give up and decide we are too weak and imperfect to even bother to try, that is when we harden our hearts. As long as we recognize our guilt and are not satisfied with our efforts, we are still salvageable. We have to keep our eye fixed on the mercy of Christ.