A man once found a cocoon of an emperor moth and decided to take it home to watch the moth come out. One day, he noticed a small opening had appeared in the cocoon. He watched the moth off and on for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. It finally reached the point where it seemed to stop making progress. He thought the moth had made it as far as it could and was stuck. Out of kindness he decided to help.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. The moth came out, but had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. He expected the body to shrink and the wings to grow to be able to support the moth in flight. Neither ever happened.

The bloated moth spent its shortened life crawling around on the floor. The man acted from kindness but did not understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to emerge were necessary to move fluids from the moth’s body to its wings. Without the struggle, there could be no flight.

Sometimes people wonder why God allows trials and tribulations in this world. The answer lies in the fact that we derive great benefit from the struggle. The troubles we face teach us more about ourselves. From a personal perspective, I have learned much more from my failures than I ever have from my successes. Personal loss reminds us that this world is not our home. Personal triumph is not possible without personal tragedy. God, the all knowing Father, allows trials because He sees with an eternal perspective. Our faith should be great enough to allow us to see adversity as an opportunity, not a tragedy. - by Tony Williams

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" - James 1:2-4