In a beatification process, what is to be manifest for a confessor is not martyrdom, but the heroic nature of the virtues practiced during one’s lifetime.  Virtues are those stable qualities of the soul and of the whole person that help him or her to live better, doing good. God has created us good and has given us His graces, but He leaves it to us to cooperate with Him.  To act according to one’s deep nature, which is good, but also hurt by original sin, one has to practice virtues. Some of them may be acquired through one’s own efforts (cardinal virtues); others are gifts from God (theological virtues).  Any good Christian must lead a virtuous life, but saints practice virtues to a degree which is above average. Oral testimonies and letters are valuable evidence in these cases. Collecting such evidence is the work of the diocesan investigation.