Please explain the following quote from The Secret Life of Bees."We were preserving Our Lady and I was content-for the first time since I’d...

The quote comes from Chapter Thirteen, and comes as part
of the Mary Day celebration when the sisters and their friends annoint their statue of
the Black Madonna with honey to preserve it and as part of a remembrance of her life and
trials. As the women annoint the statue with honey and rub it into the wood, Lily,
having had a very difficult conversation with August the night before about her mother
and how her life intertwined with that of August, now seems to have reached a stage in
her life when she is happy with herself and what she is doing. A key element to focus on
in the quote is the way that Lily describes herself as being "content" for the "first
time since I learnt about my mother." Having talked to August, and then having expressed
her anger and rage at the way that her mother deserted her, she now seems to have gained
a level of peace and contentment. This is therefore a key section of the novel with
regards to the character development of Lily.