4801. Some spirit once spoke to me, whose knowledge of the exterior truths of faith, when he lived in the world, had been greater than others' knowledge of them. Yet for all that he had not led a life in keeping with the precepts of faith. He had loved only himself, despised others in comparison with himself, and believed that in heaven he would be one of those at the top. But being like this he had been unable to have any other conception of heaven than as a worldly kingdom. In the next life however he learned that heaven was altogether different. Indeed when he learned that those at the top were not people who had set themselves above others, but were in particular people who had considered that they were unworthy of any mercy and so on merit ranked last, he was highly indignant and cast aside the ideas which during his lifetime had been part of his faith. He endeavoured constantly to do violence to those belonging to the province of the tongue, and I was allowed for several weeks to receive a sensation of his endeavour, from which I was also allowed to know the identity and nature of those who correspond to the tongue, and the identity of those opposed to them.

668. Nevertheless, the state of mind of souls and angels changes as they are perfected, so they are transferred to better positions in the same member or province, in fact even to different provinces that are nobler. For there is a continual purification, and as I may call it, new creation, nor can ever any angel arrive at perfection itself, to eternity. The Lord Alone is Perfect, or Perfection Itself.