What if I told you that there is an expert who is willing to sit down with you and teach you all about achievement, perseverance and dedication? What if I then told you that you already know this person and have for many years? Now what if I told you that the person that can teach you all of this is someone you have tried to avoid since you met them and their very presence can sometimes cause you great pain- even grief? Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to introduce you to your life’s trials.
Trials in life are those times when we are being challenged- when our limits are being tested or exceeded and we are in a struggle to succeed. For many of us, trials involve the loss of loved ones where the trial can last a lifetime. Still for others, trials can include job loss, the stress of the workplace, relationships with family, friends or loved ones or any other demand upon us for which we feel ill equipped. Trials are unavoidable in life. We can go to great lengths to reduce the chance of their occurrence, but we simply cannot remove them from our lives completely. That could be, however, a good thing.
Consider this- the process of tempering steel is a relatively violent practice where steel is heated in excess of 650°C, immediately cooled in water, then again re-heated. This process is repeated several times and after each successive heating/cooling the steel becomes stronger and less brittle. In order to achieve this strength the refiner requires extremes- heating to a blistering temperature then followed by immediate cooling.
The art of pottery making is also a process of extremes. Firstly, the potter takes large portions of clay and begins to mold them on the pottery wheel. The clay is beaten about, carved and molded, beaten about again- methodically removing impurities and shaping until the product is fashioned perfectly. After a glass coating is added to the pot for water proofing and aesthetics, the pot is now placed in a kiln that throws heat over 1000°C at it from anywhere between one and twenty hours. Only after this intense process is the pot ready to be used.
In both of these cases, the final product was a result of a series of extreme situations meant to filter, purify and perfect. These situations are like our trials. Some may be extreme in nature while others are mundane- but the result can be a more refined person. Challenges force us to exceed our comfort zones- they compel us to find new ways to adapt and cope, new ways to lean on different combinations of our own competencies and explore new abilities we might never have otherwise discovered. Trials force us to temper our steel. They force us to find ways to cope under heat.
So you see, the expert has been sitting with us for some time already. The expert has been testing our willingness to achieve, our perseverance to continue on and our commitment to weather the trials and overthrow the obstacles before us. Continue on knowing that someday you will uncover the true strength and experience your trials have afforded you.
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Tags: Dedication, Persevere, Trials
Reilly, this is a great article! Looking back at my life I can relate to this story and pin point exactly where I “heated” the metal and where I “cooled” it back down to refine myself. It is great to be reminded of this process! Love your blog and I am a huge fan! Keep up the good work…it inspires me daily!
Thanks Carl- although I seriously can’t take credit for all that experience has taught me… I’m just reporting on it here!!