Roses

I love my rose garden this time of year. When other flowers are wilting and at the end of their existence, my roses are vibrant and strong. They will weather the winter storms and bring their beauty to the world again in the spring.

Trials and thorns litter my path, but the beauty of the journey is worth passing by through the hard times.

But he who dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.
- Anne Brontë

Beauty in the Refining Fire

This roiling water reminds me of the refinement process. As I am tumbled about, I am polished.

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Isa. 48:10

Trials

The trials in our lives bring us the lessons we need most.

List your trials and look for the blessings they bring.
I would not ask to experience some of my problems again,
but I can see the strengths I have gained from them.
I won't say that my trials are blessings,
but they have led me to virtues I didn't know I had.