The atonement of Jesus Christ was not something that took place 2,000 years ago, it is something that can and should be taking place in each of our lives each and every day. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught us how to apply the atoning blood of Jesus Christ into our lives. As we find ways to apply Christ's sacrifice into our lives, we can allow that sacrifice to change who we are - we can start to become more Christlike.

The complete talk can be found here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1997/10/apply-the-atoning-blood-of-christ?lang=eng