My dad had a saying: "It's gonna feel so good when it stops hurting."

When I was in fifth grade, after the doctor cast my broken arm, Dad used that phrase. He explained that God made our bones so that after a break a special reinforcement is formed around the area, making it stronger than before. He was right. After the cast was cut off I was back playing flag football and running track. The weeks of painful growth paid off.

As a high school freshman, when I failed to make the Varsity Band, my band director explained that those who made the JV Band would "wood shed" the fundamentals of rhythm and sight- reading, rendering us stronger musicians than before. He was right. The next year I made the Varsity Band, challenging my way to first chair in the trombone section. The two semesters of painful growth paid off.

When I was grieving over a breakup with a high school girlfriend, my mom explained that God made our hearts in such a way that he would reinforce them with his own love. She was right. ...