How does Jefferson change Grant's life?

Grant’s partial embrace of religion at the end of the novel enables reconciliation where it had previously seemed none was possible. Grant’s realizes that his conflict with Reverend Ambrose was rooted in stubbornness and unwillingness to cooperate on both sides, and it is only by conceding that he may be wrong that Grant is able to find inner peace and common ground with the Reverend. Staying true to his own secular beliefs, Grant acknowledges the value of religion for others, and in doing so, performs an act of consideration and empathy—both qualities that he tried to teach Jefferson. A Lesson Before Dying closes with the hopeful suggestion that Grant may follow his own advice, learning as much from Jefferson as Jefferson learned from him.