Usually when we consider saints and sainthood, the first thing that comes to mind is, “That’s unattainable to me.”

Many people think, “Saints were special people in extraordinary circumstances; I’m just a lowly ordinary person. Sainthood isn’t for me and even it were — I don’t have the ability to be a saint.”

Granted, some saints were incredibly unique individuals who were put in extraordinary circumstances — e.g., martyrs or the intellectuals, such as St. Thomas Aquinas. However, the saints were not superhuman, even those put in extraordinary circumstances. The saints were human, ordinary people who simply said yes to God’s will.

Here are examples:

1.) St. Augustine: From rock bottom to the top. The son of a woman (St. Monica) who prayed incessantly for his conversionSt. Augustine was born in 354 A.D. and died in 430 A.D. He became the bishop of Hippo, or what is known as modern-day Algeria. Some of his most famous writings are “The City of God” and “Confessions.”

In his early life, St. Augustine was more like today’s average college student, or the party-all-nighter and philanderer — he lived a life of hedonism. Even after St. Ambrose convinced him that Christianity was the “truth,” he still didn’t convert. He thought that because he could never live a pure and sinless life, he was not worthy of becoming a Christian. Sound familiar?

Related: St. John Klimakos: A Seventh-Century Saint with a Modern Message

It wasn’t until one night in a garden, full of despair, that Augustine cried out to God in frustration over his impurity. After picking up and reading the Letters of St. Paul — who had committed more atrocious sins than Augustine could ever imagine — he realized he could indeed convert.

From that moment on, Augustine became the saint we know today.

2.) St. Catherine of Siena: The rebellious child. St. Catherine was born in 1347 in Siena, Italy, and died in 1380 in Rome, Italy. She’s known for her mysticism and incredible defense of the church and the pope, and is one of the two patron saints of Italy — the other is St. Francis. The major treatise she is remembered for is “The Dialogue of Divine Providence” — and she’s known as one of the greatest mystics of the church.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

However, while growing up, Catherine was less like a saint and more like a thorn in her parents’ side. She was stubborn, did things her way, and didn’t listen or obey. Apparently instead of following her mother’s direction for doing chores, she would hide herself in her room to pray. That certainly must have been frustrating for her mother and siblings; they were picking up all the slack due to Catherine’s absence.

As she grew older, however, her stubbornness grew to steadfastness in the Lord. Her disobedience turned to courage in the face of opposition in a male-dominated world. And her rebellious attitude helped her work to keep the Italian city states loyal to the pope. St. Catherine of Siena put up with criticism and opposition with steadfastness and humility — and called for a reform of the church during a time when women were not welcome to speak out in such a way.

3.) St. Peter: Less than perfect. We often put saints on a pedestal. However, one of the greatest saints was far less than perfect. The first pope denied Christ three times, abandoned Him at the final hour — and fell asleep instead of staying vigilant in the garden of Gethsemane. Worse yet, he hid away in fear with the rest of the disciples after the crucifixion.

However, these weren’t Peter’s only examples of coming up short — he argued that he was the most beloved disciple of Jesus. His faith also fell short when he tried to walk on water to Jesus — and instead sank. And yet, Christ chose St. Peter to be the first leader of the church, giving him the keys to heaven (Matthew 16:19).

Related: The Secret of Growing Closer to God

St. Peter was indeed less than perfect, but what made him extraordinary was not just his relationship with Christ. St. Peter had incredible faith. Although he was filled with fear and failed many times at living that faith, he never lost it. He humbly accepted the vocation and mission Christ gave him, despite his imperfections and sinfulness.

St. Peter knew his shortcomings. But never once have we heard of him throwing in the towel with the excuse that sainthood just wasn’t for him — or that Jesus was asking too much of him. Instead, he soldiered on with faith, fortitude, and humility.

4.) St. Paul: From a life of killing to martyrdom. St. Paul, previously known as Saul, presided over the persecution of the early Christians not long after the death of Christ. He was even present at the stoning and martyrdom of St. Stephen. Moreover, he was a Pharisee — among the people Jesus condemned, denounced, and called hypocrites (Matthew 23).

The Pharisees, Saul included, were not fond of Jesus either and certainly didn’t accept His teachings. Granted, Saul’s conversion is more extraordinary than anything most people will ever experience in their lifetimes. Revelations and conversions, however, can come to us in any capacity, great or small.

Related: What You Didn’t Know About St. Patrick

We are all called to sainthood. Christ chose the least among us to be his followers. And the greatest sinners became some of the greatest saints: St. Peter and St. Paul.

The road to conversion may not be as extraordinary and abrupt as St. Paul’s, but the road to sainthood is long. It’s lifelong, in fact. The saints did not become saints overnight. Although some had stronger tendencies toward grace at an early age, such as St. Catherine of Siena, for instance, others remained far from grace until adulthood.

The saints were ordinary people with normal lives and were far from perfect. They consistently came up short, made mistakes, and even made fools of themselves. But in the end, they gave their lives to God — whether through death or through a life full of devotion. They said yes to God — and that is what made them saints.

Steffani Jacobs is a freelance writer based in the Twin Cities area. She has written about everything from military history and weaponry to theology and church doctrine.