Summary:
The “Trinity” is a hard concept for people to understand because there are not perfect examples of it in our world like most other things God tells us about (e.g. He calls Himself our Father and us His children).  The word “Trinity” is not directly used in the Bible, but it is clearly communicated.  Basically, the Trinity means that there are 3 “persons” that make up our one God.  The Father, Son (Jesus) and Spirit together comprise one God.  To be clear, we cannot expect to be able to fully grasp the essence of God, but He does give us insights if we look how He describes Himself in scripture.

A key characteristics of the Trinity is that all 3 are in perfect agreement on truth and purpose.

A little more:
What the Trinity is not:  Some have used a picture of one person with 3 roles such as a person that is a father, husband and worker.  That is one person with three roles, not three persons united in essence and purpose.  The Trinity is also not 3 Gods.

An imperfect, but closer, example is a well-synced set of parents.  A well-synced set of parents is two persons in sync on goals and actions for their child.  To the child, to the school, to the government, they are “one” for things related to their child.  The school will not say “We need to find out what each parent says about this.”  The schools says, “We need to find out what the parents say.”  Each of the parents likely plays different roles in the life of the child such as nurturer, disciplinarian, sports coach, budget teacher, etc.  But, presuming the parents are in sync, the child, the school, government all see them as one unit.  Two persons with different roles acting effectively as one in parenting.  Again, it should not be surprising that we cannot fully understand God, but two fully in-sync parents in view of the school or policeman can give us a glimpse.  Multiple “persons” perfectly in sync with one goal (raising the child).

If you were to bring a new puppy into your house and try to explain to that puppy the roles of each of the family members, it would be futile.  The puppy cannot understand that tall person earns money and loves baseball.  That person with long hair actually brought those two little ones into this world.  One of those two little ones needs to learn to save money and the other little one struggles with math.  The puppy just cannot grasp their roles, many of their needs or skills.  The puppy just knows that they all love him.  Well, God is more beyond us than we are to the puppy.  God created the Universe with words, knows the thoughts of every person and created the truths and principles that makes our life better if we will just listen.  We should not be surprised if we don’t fully understand God’s full essence.

Understanding the roles of the “persons” of the Trinity:

• God the Father is the ultimate source of truth. Jesus has attested many times to that fact by saying that all that He knows comes from the Father.
• Jesus came to show us what the Father is like.  He also came to show God’s ultimate love by paying the consequences for all that we have and will ever do wrong.
• The Spirit is the one that is communicating it to us today.  The Spirit helps us to understand which truths apply to our situations and how.

God the Father sent Jesus to fulfill a variety of roles including, but not limited to, taking on a human form so we can relate better, taking on the consequences for things we do wrong so that we can be fully confident of our position before God and demonstrating how to live a life of love and truth.  Because Jesus came in physical, bodily form, He was limited to being in one place at a time.  So, after Jesus completed His tasks here on earth, God the Father expanded His planned work by sending the Spirit to be in each of God’s children to guide them.

Again, all three “persons” of the Godhead are in perfect union on purpose, plans and truth.  Please read the Bible verses below for some of the clarifying statements in the Bible.

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Bible references:

• Mark 16:19  So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.  (In that time, the person on the right hand was second in charge in a nation to the person on the throne)
• John 6:44: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.  (Note how the Father chooses who will be drawn to Him and Jesus executes that decision)
• John 12:47–50: If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.  And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
• John 14:8-9  [Jesus said to His disciples]  …he who has seen me has seen the Father…
• John 14:16  “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever
• John 14:26: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
• John 14:28: You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
• John 15:1–2: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
• John 5:19–20: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.  For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show Him, so that you may marvel.
• John 15:26  “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.
• 1 Corinthians 11:3: But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
• 1 Corinthians 15:23–28:  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.”  But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him.  When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.   (Note how the Father is putting things under Jesus feet)
• Hebrews 5:5–6: So also Christ did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by Him who said to Him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” as He says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”  (Note that a priest is an intercessor between people and the authority. The priest is not the authority, but an executor of authority.)
• Rev 5:1-9: Note that Jesus is taking the scroll from the Father who is sitting on the throne. So, the Father is the one that possesses the scroll and hands it to Jesus to execute.