Prime Minister David Cameron is to acknowledge that anxious voters cannot yet see signs of his Government's economic strategy taking Britain out of recession.
But he will insist that the coalition's deficit-reduction programme is laying the foundations for a better future and will urge Britons to stick with the task of paying down debt.
In a high-profile speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester, Mr Cameron will tell activists that he believes there are better times ahead for the UK and call on its people to show the spirit of "can-do optimism" needed to fight their way out of adversity.
He will say that he has the leadership needed to "turn this ship around" and set the country on course for a more prosperous future.
Aides said that the speech amounted to an acknowledgement that the economic situation over the past 18 months - during which growth forecasts have been repeatedly downgraded - has been worse than predicted when the coalition took power.
But Mr Cameron will say that it is vital for the country not to be "paralysed by gloom and fear" but to show the energy and appetite needed to compete with emerging economic giants like China, India and Brazil.
He will make clear that he has no intention of following Labour calls to slow down the pace of cuts and offer temporary tax breaks to stimulate growth, warning that voters would be "fooling ourselves" if they believed they could solve the country's problems without abandoning the "failed ideas" of the past.
And he will tell the conference: "Our plan is right. And our plan will work.
"I know you can't see it or feel it yet, but think of it like this: The new economy we are building is like building a house. The most important part is the part you can't see - the foundations that make it stable.
"Slowly but surely we're laying the foundations for a better future. But this is the crucial point: It will only work if we stick with it."
PA