Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

In Christian-talk, joy is something much deeper and much more resilient than happiness. Happiness is fleeting, but joy is something akin to peace. The solid, sure knowledge that you walk in GOD’s light allows you to take comfort in difficult circumstances.

Testing of your faith produces perseverance – faith won’t hold if it isn’t tested. Things sink in a lot better under testing. In light of looming exams, you do study harder, and you do commit more time to learning your material, and knowing your stuff so that when it comes to exam time, you know what you’re talking about. You’re convinced of what you know.

The worst patient is the one who just says “Yes doctor.” to everything, because they don’t take ownership of their situation, and have remarkably poor compliance.

If we say that we believe, and only have a superficial understanding, without emotional insight (and active engagement), then a time of testing will reveal what we truly believe, and what we truly value. And as we continue to grow, our faith is deepened, and shaped by our experiences. We learn to persevere in light of adverse circumstances, because of our dependence on the promises of GOD.