God loves us, 
so he makes us the gift of 
suffering.
Through suffering, 
we release our hold on the 
toys of this world,
and know our true good 
lies in 
another world. 
We're like 
blocks of stone,
out of which the sculptor 
carves 
the forms of men.
The blows of his chisel, 
which hurt us 
so much, 
are what makes us 
perfect.
The suffering in this world 
is not the failure of 
God's love for us;
it is that love 
in action. 
For believe me, 
this world that seems 
so substantial
is no more than the 
shadowlands.
Real life has not 
begun
yet.

-c.s. lewis