All of Jill Dillard's time spent behind books and years of practice and learning has finally paid off, for she is now a certified professional midwife (CPM).

According to the Duggar Family Blog, Jill had to spend the past three-and-a-half years taking courses, studying for exams, doing research, completing clinicals, and working under a local midwife just to get her certification. The final exam, which she took recently, was seven hours long.

Her husband Derick could not be any prouder of Jill for accomplishing this feat. "I am so proud of her for her diligence, perseverance, and hard work to see this long road through to its end and reaching her goal of becoming a CPM," Derick wrote in the Dillard Family Blog.

He added that Jill's new title will be especially helpful on the mission field in Central America. "The light at the end of the tunnel was always there, but we just hadn't seen it until recently. And if anybody knows how much hard work it has been for her, it's me. Jill has been very disciplined and sacrificed a lot to get to this point. So much so, that I don't have the capacity within this brief blog post to give all the details to do it justice," he said.

According to Derick, he and his wife are not getting an education just to get an education. For them, their newfound knowledge will be a "tool in the tool belt" that they will use in "furthering God's Kingdom."

"The purpose of any educational endeavour, whether primary, secondary, or post-secondary, ought to be to prepare to contribute to society, and for Christians, that means productivity for the Kingdom," he said.