D&C 67:13; 101:16; 121:7-8; 122:5-8; 1 Peter 2:20; Mary Fielding Smith, Corbett, p.100; Alma 31:31, 38; 33:23; 36:27; 2 Cor. 4:8-17; Mosiah 23:21; refer in this text to Mosiah 24:14-15
“Religious faith gives confidence that human tragedy is not a meaningless sport of physical forces. Life is not what Voltaire called it, ‘A bad joke,’ it is really a school of discipline whose author and teacher is God.” (Hugh B. Brown, Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p. 105-107)
“The great challenge in this earthly life is not to determine how to escape the afflictions and problems, but rather to carefully prepare ourselves to meet them. I say prepare ourselves because it demands persistent effort to develop patience as a personal attribute. In practicing patience, one comes to understand it and to acquire it… . We must have patience in order to withstand pain and grief without complaint or discouragement, which detract from the Spirit… . We are not talking here about a passive patience which waits only for the passing of time to heal or resolve things which happen to us, but rather a patience that is active, which makes things happen… . (Rom. 2:7; 1 Peter 2:20). Patience in affliction and adversity means to persist firmly and never forsake that which we know to be true, standing firm with the hope that in the Lord’s due time we will gain an understanding of that which we do not understand now and which causes us suffering… . The faithful Latter-day Saint—instead of despairing because a goal on his or her agenda was not realized, because his or her timetable does not bring a solution to the problems, or because comfort does not come to calm the troubles of today—waits patiently for fulfillment of promises, according to the Lord’s timetable.” (Angel Abrea, Conference Report, Apr. 1992, pp. 34-37)
“Mormon surely knew that no pain we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God.” (Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1987, p. 60)
“Sometimes we pray for the strength to endure yet resist the very things that would give us that strength. Too often we seek the easy way, forgetting that strength comes from overcoming things that require us to put forth more effort than we normally would be inclined to do.” (John H. Groberg, Ensign, Nov. 1993, p. 26)
It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears. (Ella Wheeler Wilcox, as quoted by Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 1993, p. 71)
“I am grateful for the things which I have suffered in the flesh, which have been blessings in my life that have taught me patience, long-suffering, faith, and a sensitivity to those who are less fortunate… . I have learned in my life that trials are blessings in disguise if we accept them with humility, faith, and fortitude. All that we suffer and endure with patience will build within us a more charitable and tender person, having acquired the education we came on earth to receive.” (Lloyd P. George, Ensign, May 1994, p. 28)
“When we are pushed, stung, defeated, embarrassed, hurt, rejected, tormented, forgotten—when we are in agony of spirit crying out ‘why me?’ we are in a position to learn something. Inner resources can be stirred under such stress. Hidden strengths awaken that can be a blessing to others.” (Elaine Cannon, Adversity, p. 20)
“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God, … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” (Orson F. Whitney, Improvement Era, Mar. 1966, p. 211)