A method of routing data in a mesh communication network including a plurality of network devices (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) and operating in a process control environment, the method comprising the steps of: assigning one of a plurality of priority levels associated with the mesh communication network to a data packet, the plurality of priority levels including at least one of: a command priority level corresponding to network diagnostics, configuration, or control information in the process control environment, a process data priority level corresponding to process data in the process control environment, a normal priority level, and an alarm priority level corresponding to at least one of alarm data or event data generated in the process control environment; sending the data packet from a source network device included in the plurality of network devices to a destination network device included in the plurality of network devices; and routing the data packet to a destination network device via at least one intermediate network device included in the plurality of network devices, including: comparing, at each at least one intermediate network device, the priority level of the data packet to a priority mask of each at least one intermediate network device, wherein the priority mask indicates one or more priorities of data packets that are accepted at a data layer of each at least one intermediate network device; and modifying the routing of the data packet to the destination network device if the priority mask indicates that the priority level of the data packet is not accepted at the data layer of each at least one intermediate network device, including rejecting the data packet at each at least one intermediate network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) to trigger re-routing of the data packet to the destination network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) via another intermediate network device. assigning one of a plurality of priority levels associated with the mesh communication network to a data packet, the plurality of priority levels including at least one of: a command priority level corresponding to network diagnostics, configuration, or control information in the process control environment, a process data priority level corresponding to process data in the process control environment, a normal priority level, and an alarm priority level corresponding to at least one of alarm data or event data generated in the process control environment; a command priority level corresponding to network diagnostics, configuration, or control information in the process control environment, a process data priority level corresponding to process data in the process control environment, a normal priority level, and an alarm priority level corresponding to at least one of alarm data or event data generated in the process control environment; sending the data packet from a source network device included in the plurality of network devices to a destination network device included in the plurality of network devices; and routing the data packet to a destination network device via at least one intermediate network device included in the plurality of network devices, including: comparing, at each at least one intermediate network device, the priority level of the data packet to a priority mask of each at least one intermediate network device, wherein the priority mask indicates one or more priorities of data packets that are accepted at a data layer of each at least one intermediate network device; and modifying the routing of the data packet to the destination network device if the priority mask indicates that the priority level of the data packet is not accepted at the data layer of each at least one intermediate network device, including rejecting the data packet at each at least one intermediate network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) to trigger re-routing of the data packet to the destination network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) via another intermediate network device. comparing, at each at least one intermediate network device, the priority level of the data packet to a priority mask of each at least one intermediate network device, wherein the priority mask indicates one or more priorities of data packets that are accepted at a data layer of each at least one intermediate network device; and modifying the routing of the data packet to the destination network device if the priority mask indicates that the priority level of the data packet is not accepted at the data layer of each at least one intermediate network device, including rejecting the data packet at each at least one intermediate network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) to trigger re-routing of the data packet to the destination network device (30-50; 254; 312-318, 342; 404-408) via another intermediate network device.