“There is a crucial gospel principle that repeatedly appears in the book of Alma. … There seems to be a clear pattern in these teachings. The eternal principle operating through this scriptural counsel is that the things we want most—joy, success, blessings, and exaltation—come after affliction, sorrow, long-suffering, tribulation, and adversity. Jesus is our example in all things, and Jesus’ crown of glory came after his crown of thorns” (Ogden and Skinner, Book of Mormon, 1:397).