Would you have patience? You must have many things to try your patience. Would you have meekness? You can obtain it only through endurance. Would you have faith? You must meet and overcome many obstacles. God puts in us latent qualities of good, but these can be brought to view in the solid structure of Christian character only by long and continued chiseling. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Pet. 4: 12). “Which _is_ to try you”—did you ever notice that? It does not say which _may_ try you or which _probably_ will try you; it says, “Which _is_ to try you.” That signifies that it was _intended_ to try you. It was meant for that purpose; it does not come by accident. Trials are necessary. If you are ever to be what God wants you to be, you need trials, you must have them; you can never be strong or patient or meek or brave or possess any other virtue God wants you to have unless you stand the test. “Many shall be purified, made white, and tried.” God will do the purifying; and he will also see that we get our “trying.” “After that ye have suffered a while,” Peter says, God will “make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” The chisel pain must do its work. Even Jesus was “made perfect through suffering.” Let us bear it manfully, yea, joyfully, knowing that it will leave its mark upon us, even the mark of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will bring out the beauty and richness of the Christ-life and fit us to be in His presence forever. TALK FIFTY-ONE. THE HELPLESSNESS OF THE GOSPEL