Sisters Ebony Holland, Heather Martin and Karima Kibble rose from humble beginnings to become the Grammy Award-nominated gospel group, Virtue.

The New Orleans natives were at the height of their careers in the 1990s; five studio albums led to tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean and the US.

In 2006, they gave it all up and shifted their attention to family and personal pursuits.

That’s all changed.

Their new album Fearless, is set for release in the coming months and the sisters are performing again.

They’ll give a concert in the Bermuda Institute auditorium next Saturday at 8.30pm.

Needless to say they’re excited about this new phase.

“To be given another opportunity to share our ministry, to share our gift with the world feels nothing short of amazing,” Ms Kibble said.

“This is definitely God’s will for us. The opposition that we’ve faced has pushed us harder than ever before to stay in the race. We love every part of the process — the concerts, the recording, the preparation of it all is beyond exciting. Each phase of it prepares us for the next.”

Ms Kibble said she and her sisters always planned to return to the industry but they were waiting for the right opportunity.

“We trusted God’s timing and when He was ready for it to happen He made it plain and here we are again,” she said. “We take nothing for granted.

“We know that we are called to fulfil a purpose and we feel that much more blessed that He thought enough of three little girls from New Orleans, Louisiana to share His messages of hope and love with the world. It feels surreal at times!”

The title of their album Fearless means something different to each of the women.

For Mrs Martin it means trusting God and “having faith that allows no circumstance, no problem, no feat to be too daunting or big to tackle”.

“Personally, as a woman, we have to assume so many roles,” she said. “For me it’s as a wife, mother-of-four, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, singer, minister, and the list goes on.

“It can be easy to get overwhelmed, but being fearless means more than just saying you have faith and trusting God. For me it means becoming the woman in Proverbs 31 who is invaluable to her husband and everyone around her because she plans, and puts in the work, and obviously has a relationship with God. That’s Fearless!”

The most fearless woman they know happens to be their own mother who was a single mom-of-six.

“She made sure we went to a Christian school and we sang in the church and did all the activities and that became our foundation,” Mrs Holland said. “My mom is a real faithful, praying woman and has instilled in us those same values.

“She learnt to listen to God and not worry what other people had to say about her. Sometimes we can listen to what the world is saying, like raise your children this way, but she listened to God. That was her source — and because of that we are the way we are today. We are still in the church and raising our children that same way, teaching them to depend on God.”

Mrs Martin remembers the first time she had to exercise her own faith was while in her last year of high school at a boarding academy in south Texas.

“It was very expensive and our mother had fallen behind on tuition payments,” she said.

“A week before graduation, everyone was required to go to the office to financially clear or else you could not graduate. Nervously I called my mother before I went to the office to check if by some miracle she was able to pay any money, and to ask what to do.

“My mother told me not to be afraid, there was nothing she could do, but pray. She said trust God, and go to that office with confidence, believing that He will take care of the situation.

“When my name was called, I went in and the principal began to tell me of our outstanding bill, and how much we owed. He said, Heather, you have been such an asset to our school in these two years, we have decided that you don’t owe anything! Tell me where you plan to go to college, we want to help you get in there too! This day stands out in my memory as the day my faith journey began.”

Her faith walk has taught her that while she can make plans and have dreams and aspirations, in the end God’s timing will prevail.

“I’ve learnt to tell Him, everyday, of my desires not because I think He’s forgotten, but because that contact creates a relationship. [From there I have to] do my part, put in the work to make those dreams a reality, and then trust Him. I am a work in progress, learning to walk it out by faith,” she said.

Mrs Holland has learnt that faith without works is dead.

“You can’t just sit on the couch and wait for the opportunity to come to your doorstep,” she said. “If you are praying for something, that’s great and important, but you also have to set goals for yourself and start working so that God can give that to you.

“If you tell God you want to finish school, you have to also go out and look for schools and really study for that course.

“I believe if you have a simple dream then God will give you a simple answer, but if you have a big dream then God will give you a big answer.”

She said God has already provided her with a life beyond her wildest dreams.

She hopes that if people take anything from their upcoming Bermuda performance it would be how much God loves them.

“That’s our message. That His love is faithful and no matter how bad things are going, whether you’ve lost a job or a loved one, He’s still there.”

Tickets are $35 at the Adventist Book Store or Uniquely Yours on Church Street, Hamilton. Part proceeds from the event go to local charity Operation Reachback.