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Trials are nothing else but the forge that purifies the soul of all its imperfections.

To make acts of penance of all my contradictions, temporal or spiritual pains, as well as all the actions that could displease me is what I call the penance of the moment.

I saw the river over which every soul must pass to reach the kingdom of heaven and the name of the river was Suffering. And I saw the boat which carries souls across that river, and the name of that boat was Love.

Remember that there are few souls who stay with Him and follow Him in His trials...In many places He is neglected and ill-treated, but He suffers everything and will continue to do so, if He finds but one single soul which will receive Him and love to have Him as its Guest. Let this soul be yours then.

Just as we cannot stop the movement of the heavens, but they proceed in rapid motion, so neither can we stop our mind; and then the faculties of the soul go with it, and we think we are lost and have wasted the time spent before God. But the soul is perhaps completely joined with Him in the dwelling places very close to the center while the mind is on the outskirts of the castle suffering from a thousand wild and poisonous beasts, and meriting by this suffering. As a result we should not be disturbed; nor should we abandon prayer, which is what the devil wants us to do. For the most part all the trials and disturbances come from our not understanding ourselves.

There is a joy to be found in suffering when one thinks of eternal happiness.

Every happening, every event, every suffering as also every joy, is a sacrament that gives God to the soul.

God repays trials very well with divine goods for soul and body - there is not a trial which does not have a corresponding and considerable reward.

If you have to suffer, it means that you are all the more loved.

When I accepted the fact that I might spend my life suffering from these troubles and anxieties-which in no way diminished the trust I had in God and served only to increase my faith-I found myself changed all at once. And my soul, until that time always in turmoil, experienced a deep inner peace as if it had found its center and place of rest.

Now, then, to enjoy a part in His kingdom and want no part in His dishonors and trials is nonsense.

I only think that the soul comes out of the crucible like gold, more refined and purified, so as to see the Lord within itself. So afterward these trials that seemed unbearable become small.