It can take a long time to discern a call to religious life. Part of the problem is that we haven't been told how to discern. Discernment is really a period of preparation for and training in the religious life. It is also a periodof courtship.This booklet, written as a series of letters to a young woman starting the discernment process, draws on the wisdom of women who embodied the "feminine genius" (John Paul II) - Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, Zélie Martin, Elizabeth of the Trinity and others. It provides a lucid overview of the spiritual life and discernment process, drawing on the rich spiritual tradition of the Church.