The pioneers of Sanpete were committed to fostering their relationship with God and wanted to build a temple where they could worship and increase their spiritual understanding of God's principles. Twenty-eight years after the first pioneers arrived in the Sanpete valley, construction began on a temple when Brigham Young dedicated the temple site and broke ground in 1877. The pioneers gathered materials for the temple, cutting and crafting local oolite stone into beautiful blocks, and many donated their time and resources to the effort. The temple's craftsmanship reflected their belief that it was a house of God, and every aspect from the design to the finish work was carefully considered and implemented. After eleven years of construction, President Wilford Woodruff dedicated the temple in 1888 and called the Manti Temple the finest temple, best finished, and most costly of any building the Latter-day Saints had built since the organization of the Church. The temple became a symbol of the pioneers' faith and willingness to sacrifice, and the sacredness they found in worship gave meaning to their lives and hope as they faced hardships.