Trials: The Art of Being Perfected!

While talking to my brother some years ago, he shared that November had been quite a trying month of one unfortunate event after another. First, a recently purchased milk cow died giving birth to her little calf. Then one of their Great Pyrenees dogs killed 25 of their best chickens. By now you might be wondering where they live. My brother and his family own a beautiful farm in South Carolina.

Then, his German shepherd, Caesar, snapped for reasons unknown, and attacked the baby calf so badly that she had to be killed to put an end to her suffering. Since my brother and his family have tours that include young children, a dog that can snap unpredictably can’t be allowed on the farm, or anywhere else, for that matter. With a broken heart, my brother had to put the 2-year old dog down.

He told me he was worn out from all the terrible things that had happened. A wise friend reminded him that all things happen for a reason. Perhaps Caesar would have snapped during a farm tour and attacked one of the children. No one knows. What we do know is that trials come and go. Sometimes they come fast and furious, and other times there’s a lull.

After our conversation, I “happen” to come across the following quote.

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

So, to my brother I said, “I love you. Hang in there. I know this has been an awful ordeal for you. This too shall pass. And remember, you’re in the process of being perfected.”

And for all of you friends out there, remember that you can’t be perfected without trials in your life. So hang on tightly, and know that whatever trial you’re undergoing, will only make you stronger, and at the end—Perfect!