Romans 5:3-4: And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.
Tribulation means great trouble or suffering. It also means pressure or being crushed. When a child of God goes through trouble or suffering, it works out patience. Patience leads to experience and experience brings hope in God. When we faithfully endure trouble and stand in it, we will be able to glory in it. At the end of it all, we build a stable christian character.
Why do we go through what we go through? Does God hate us? God wants to release the real us out of us. How do we react when we face a bad situation? How do we react when we lose a job or lose a beloved one? Do we have patience? Do we have the godly character in us every time we are hit with a bad storm? God wants us to have character that is godly and character that is like Him. Just like how a goldsmith and a silversmith will not remove the gold or the silver out until he sees his image in it, God would allow us to go through fire and heat until He sees His image in us. He will not allow us to get burnt.
Godly character comes by patiently bearing and enduring everything that life has to offer us, whether good or bad. In all the circumstances in our life, God will be with us like an anchor. Because He is with us, we develop hope in Him and ultimately a character that He wants us to build.
