The gift of each day is a pleasantly optimistic anthem, sure to become popular with a wealth of choirs. The words by the composer capture a thankfulness for the world's creation along with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the future to come. The piece opens with alternating unison voices in a gently lilting 12/8 metre; a slightly faster central section then leads us into a reprise of the reflective opening ideas. Rutter skilfully mirrors the varying moods of the text through harmonic shifts, melodic devices, and tempo fluctuations, and brings the music to a wonderfully calm and peaceful close.