I have been meditating on these verses for nearly a week now and I keep coming back to this one thought:  that Jesus is displaying his perfect patience in me.  In the NIV, which I am memorizing from it says "unlimited patience". 
  Even though I have received Jesus' mercy, it still requires perfect or unlimited patience from Him in dealing with me.  This is because I have so many areas of life to bring under his lordship.  Just when I think I have given over my life totally in submission to Christ, one of my children does something and I learn I have anger issues that I haven't fully brought under Christ's control.  Or my wife plans something that I don't want to do and I am reminded again of the selfishness that haunts me.  Or someone says something complimentary towards me and pride rears its ugly head.  Or I have something go wrong and disillusionment creeps in.  Or . . .

   I am very thankful for Christ's Perfect (unlimited) patience, because even though I know the things I should do and even though I want to do those things with a part of me, I do the things that I shouldn't do even hating myself as I do them.  And Christ's patience keeps him with me in this constant struggle.

  As I have meditated on this, I have been thinking about my own patience.  Perfect and/or unlimited are not adjectives that I would use to describe it.  Guess there is another area where Christ and I have some work to do!

Jesus,
 Thank you for your unlimited patience in me.  It seems as though I fail you and disappoint you continually.  And yet here you stay.  Prodding.  Encouraging.  Disciplining.  Loving.  Strengthening.
I cling to your promise that you will never leave me nor forsake me and I ask that you help me to speed up the process of being transformed into your image.
Your Child,
Steve