Third time's the charm: Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach's success story is a life lesson in determination

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach is more than just a pretty face!

Hello #AldubNation pwede ko po bang mahingi ang tulong nyo para sa laban ko sa Miss Universe? :) #ForThePhilippines #LabanPiaPinas #MissUniverse #MissUniverso #ConfidentlyBeautiful @pauleenluna @pochoy_29 may online voting po sa mismong final night. Yung votes nyo po papasok habang ako po ang naglalakad sa stage. Real time po yung votes. You can watch the pageant thru online streaming or cable TV. Delayed telecast po kasi sa ABS CBN at hindi po papasok ang votes pag tapos na po akong maglakad. Check the link on my bio for details of voting :)

A photo posted by Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach) on Dec 18, 2015 at 9:06pm PST

Standing at 5 feet, 8 inches, Pia speaks three languages — Filipino, English and German — and is an actress, model and award-winning pageant contestant according to her Miss Universe bio. Talk abut beauty and brains, Pia is also incredibly determined. She competed in Miss Philippines pageant three times before becoming the representative to represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant.

"My fellow countrymen have witnessed my journey towards Miss Universe. The fact that I joined Miss Philippines 3 years in a row determines how much I really want this. I didn't let anyone or anything stop me from getting here. I'm so glad I never lost my drive because turns out, I was right! Now I'm finally wearing the Philippine sash in the most prestigious pageant in the world. And I couldn't be happier! So kids, if you have a dream, don't give up!" she said, when asked how she felt about competing this year. 

After winning the pageant last week, under the most bizarre circumstances Pia took to Instagram to discuss her journey and give words of encouragement to her 1st runner up Miss Colombia.

#Repost @missuniverse ・・・ Wow. Words can't describe how grateful I am for this. It was quite a journey getting here with 3 attempts at winning Miss Philippines. Now, I finally got the best Christmas gift ever – and not just for me, for my country. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who believed in my potential and those who supported me from the beginning. To everyone who voted for me, especially to my fellow countrymen, thank you. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience. In the last 3 weeks we were together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out. You represented your country with honor and I know how proud everyone must be of you. Fate has a plan for you, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead. And to all the fans who are still fighting about this…Please let's all stop now. The Miss Universe Organization is about uniting empowered women from all over the world. Arguing and sending hateful messages to each other defeats the whole purpose. You believe in the message of Miss Universe and so do I. Again, thank you for the love. I'm excited to begin my duties as Miss Universe and I wish everyone, all the contestants and all the supporters a great holiday with their loved ones. Happy Holidays and let's look forward to a great start to the new year! #🎄 #MissUniverse - Pia

A photo posted by Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach) on Dec 24, 2015 at 4:33pm PST

Quiet as it's kept, pageants are an expensive sport. Just to put things in perspective when I entered Miss New York USA, I paid $1,000 just to enter the pageant, hired a pageant coach, a fitness coach, bought a gown, swimsuit and my transportation costs. And that's just a local pageant, that happens over a weekend. The Miss Universe girls spend over three weeks in Vegas in preliminary competitions vying for that top spot. The top 15 are selected during prelims, so the girls have to be "on" at all times. Some women even get plastic surgery in preparation for the competition so it's easy to see how the costs easily pile up.....it's very expensive,

42 years of drought and now it finally reigns :) Mabuhay! Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat ❤ #MissUniverse #MissUniverso #ConfidentlyBeautiful

A photo posted by Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach) on Dec 21, 2015 at 1:04pm PST

Cheers to everyone out there hustling and grinding trying to reach their dreams. Never EVER give up! And most importantly remember....

👑💆🏽

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀VAN LENORE (@vanlenore) on Dec 28, 2015 at 10:18am PST

LOL! That made me laugh out loud.