ith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be
tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ."--1 Peter 1:7. This is _the only_
explanation of the many harassments of life.

God has revealed that the standard by which character is measured is
patience, endurance. "Let patience have its perfect work, that ye may
be mature and complete, lacking in nothing."--James 1:4. If there
were no harassments, no afflictions, no burdens, no sorrows, no
disappointments, no sufferings, there could be no patience, endurance;
and if there were no patience, no endurance, there could be no
maturity and completeness of character. As to what trials are needed,
and are best in each case, only God can decide. In our dimsightedness
we think that many things are mistakes in God's plans, and that He
cannot bring good out of them; but He will. A boy was born with a
badly deformed foot. When he was eight years of age his father had two
surgeons to operate and try to straighten the foot, but they failed.
After a second operation, the foot was placed in a brace which was
worn for months. But the foot remained as badly deformed as ever. The
surgeons then informed the father that the foot could never be
straightened. The father studied the deformed foot for many days, and
then had a strange-looking box made with screws, felt taps and iron
rods in different parts of it. He had the surgeons to operate again on
the boy's foot, cutting the muscles and tendons in different places.
The foot was then placed in the strange box; a screw was turned till
the felt tap pressed against the foot at one place, almost breaking
the bones; then another screw and felt tap were brought to bear on
another deformed part of the foot, straightening the foot and almost
breaking the bones in that part of the foot; then the iron rod was
used to straighten another part. For months the boy's foot was kept in
that box. The suffering, day and night for months, was indescribable.
The child would weep for hours, the pain being all but unbearable;
and when the father would come home the child would beg piteously for
the box to be taken off and to be left a cripple. The father, mingling
his tears with the tears of the suffering child, would turn the screws
tighter than before, and the child would shriek in fearful agony.
During those weeks and months of suffering he looked upon his father
as being harsh and cr