"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." (Prov 22:29) "You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." (Deut 5:32, ESV) Diligence is define as careful and persistent work or effort. (Google Dictionary) It is simply the ability to be committed to what you are doing and put in your best to make it successful. It is persistence, discipline, passion and hardwork - all wrapped up in one one. Life responds to the diligent. The Bible itself says it, and the word of God cannot fail. It says "Anyone who is diligent in what he or she does will stand before kings". To stand before kings as used in this context means to be reckoned with the best. It means to be successful. it means to attract the attention and company of great people. Diligence is the formula for excellence. Even when it comes to obeying the word of God, the Bible says we must be "careful" to obey and observe it (Josh 1:7). .
In other words, we need to be dilligent in other to excel spiritually as well. Whether it is spiritual excellence, career excellence, business excellence, etc; the formula is diligence. Nothing done without diligence will prosper. Nothing done carelessly will excel. If we want to excel, we must be persistent when we encounter oppositions to our endeavour; we must be disciplined enough to formulate a plan and follow it through; we must be passionate about what we are doing and give our all to it; and we must work hard, learn, improve and deliver our best at every time. That is the summary of diligence. That is the formula for excellence.