Following the Prophet's martyrdom, President Young oversaw the completion of the Nauvoo Temple. "Church Historian George A. Smith concluded that 5,634 brothers and sisters received their endowment in the partially completed Nauvoo Temple in December 1845 and January 1846. Sealings of couples continued on through Feb. 7, [1846,] by which time more than 2,000 couples had been united by the priesthood for time and eternity." President Young later built temples in the Utah Territory. At the dedication of the lower stories of the St. George Utah Temple, Brigham Young vigorously emphasized the urgency of vicarious temple work when he boldly declared, "What do you suppose the fathers would say if they could speak from the dead? Would they not say, 'We have lain here thousands of years, here in this prison house, waiting for this dispensation to come'? ... Why, if they had the power the very thunders of heaven would be in our ears, if we could but realize the importance of the work we are engaged in .... When I think upon this subject, I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people."

Since that time, temple ordinances have been refined gradually. President Harold B. Lee explained why procedures, policies, and even the administration of temple ordinances continue to evolve: "The principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are divine. Nobody changes the principles and [doctrine] of the Church except the Lord by revelation. But methods change as the inspired direction comes to those who preside at a given time."

President Wilford Woodruff taught something similar when he declared, in 1896: "I want to say, as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that we should now go on and progress. We have not [gotten] through with revelation .” President [Brigham] Young, who followed President Joseph Smith, led us here. He organized these temples and carried out the purposes of his calling and office .... He did not receive all the revelations that belong to this work; neither did President Taylor, nor has Wilford Woodruff. There will be no end to this work until it is perfected."

As just one example, consider how administering the sacrament has changed over the years. In earlier days, the water of the sacrament was offered to the congregation in one large vessel from which everyone drank. Now we use individual disposable cups. The procedure changed, but the covenants remained the same.