As much as we may want the growth, we dislike the fact that suffering constitutes a very important part of our growth; both as human beings, and as followers of Jesus Christ. People who have gone through suffering find themselves aware of their strengths and weaknesses, developing wisdom that combats the naivetes about life and living, and a tempering that resists the fragilities of life. We also know that suffering does not enrich us and deepen us automatically. Fire in the furnace can kill, and gymnasiums can severely injure; and, as an old saying goes, "the same fire that melts wax, can harden clay". This message will help prepare us to handle suffering in such as way that it leads to growth.