WATCH: Rev. Andrew Young remembers Jimmy Carter's legacy pursuing equality | Carter's Funeral

Reverend Andrew Young, a prominent civil rights leader and former United Nations ambassador who served under Carter, began his eulogy at Carter's funeral Thursday with a simple declaration: "Jimmy Carter, for me, was something of a miracle."

Young recalled his disbelief that a president could hail from Plains, Georgia -- a town he said gave civil rights organizers one of the "meanest experiences."

But Carter defied his expectations, Young recalled, and demonstrated "the ability to achieve greatness."

"Dr. King used to say that greatness is characterized by 'antithesis strongly marked.' You've got to have a tough mind and a tender heart. And that was Jimmy Carter," Young said.

In particular, Young said that Carter's upbringing as a racial minority in a county that was only around a quarter white made him able to embrace people of all backgrounds.

"Growing up as a minority, he became a friend of the majority," Young said.

Throughout knowing Carter for more than half of his life, Young said he "never ceased to be inspired by the little deeds of love and mercy that he shared with us every day of his life."

"It was President James Earl Carter that for me symbolized the greatness of the United States of America, and I am truly grateful for him," Young said. "Because in spite of the harshness of the Depression and the explosions of inflation, he never wavered from his commitment to God Almighty and his love of all of God's children."

The official state funeral in Washington on Thursday caps a long farewell that began — and will end — in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Carter died Dec. 29 at age 100.

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