Time to unpack

I heard a familiar phrase brought into a new light this week and have encorporated it into my vocabulary with its new meaning. 'Unpack' it. In my foundations of education class, my professor used that term. He wasn't referring to what we do after we take a trip somewhere, but to a figurative action we can take to better understand something. Question it, disect it. All in attempts to better understand whatever the subject may be. I have been doing that this morning.

I have been reading a different conference talk from the last General Conference and today it was Elder Carlos A. Godoy, from the Sunday afternoon session. The title of his talk was 'Testimony as a Process.' His talk focuses on the importance of the Spirit, that precious memember of the Godhead that helps us to teach us the truth of ALL things, (Moroni 10:5, 2 Nephi 32:5) being able to 'discern' and 'hear' the things of God.

The voice of the Spirit is described in the scripture as being neither loud nor harsh. It is not a voice of thunder, neither...a voice of a great tumultuous noise. But rather, a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper." (3 Nephi 11:3, http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/5)

Something I have always been fascinated with is how not everyone who comes in contact with these quiet promptings can 'hear' them. I feel in part it is because these promptings that usually come in form of a feeling are not shouted at us, but are whispered. Sometimes we are preoccupied with life that we cannot hear.

In the scriptures the words are often used to describe these feelings as a still small voice that did 'pierce' them 'that did hear'. I have been pondering on that phrase: 'pierce them that did hear.' Some questions arose in my mind:
-Why is it that only certain people could 'hear' it?
-How are we able to 'hear'?

I wondered: What say ye? I would love to hear what you have to say on the subject.