According to author Herbert Carson, God often uses suffering to remind us of the greater goal he has in mind for us. Carson writes:
Slum clearance is not an end in itself, simply to satisfy the town planners; its ultimate aim is to move people to better homes. So in all God's dealings, which at times may appear harsh, he is gently and graciously preparing us for removal. To change the analogy, like a gardener loosening the soil around the roots before transplanting, so the Lord breaks up the soil of our comfortable living and our persistent materialism. The fork which the heavenly gardener uses is a painful one, but the ultimate aim is a new flowering in paradise.