perfected through the journey of life...

"And the God of all Grace who calls you to His Eternal Glory in Christ, after you hae suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. (perfected) To Him be the power for ever and ever. " 1 Pet 5 : 10 & 11

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You have seen the arch of heaven as it spans the plain: glorious
are its colours, and rare its hues. It is beautiful, but, alas,
it passes away, and lo, it is not. The fair colours give way to
the fleecy clouds, and the sky is no longer brilliant with the
tints of heaven.

It is not established. How can it be? A glorious show made up of
transitory sun-beams and passing rain-drops, how can it abide?
The graces of the Christian character must not resemble the
rainbow in its transitory beauty, but, on the contrary, must be
stablished, settled, abiding. Seek, O believer, that every good
thing you have may be an abiding thing.

May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an
inscription upon the rock! ... May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your
convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest.

May your whole life be so settled and established, that all the
blasts of hell, and all the storms of earth shall never be able
to remove you. But notice how this blessing of being "stablished
in the faith" is gained. The apostle's words point us to
suffering as the means employed-"After that ye have suffered
awhile."

It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough
winds pass over us. Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak
tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of
the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also
indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their
way. So the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all
the trials and storms of life. Shrink not then from the
tempestuous winds of trial, but take comfort, believing that by
their rough discipline God is fulfilling this benediction to
you.
from Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotions for the Morning of June 25

I could not say it better than Spurgeon. Life is so precious. Each of us are given gifts to live out our lives to the fullest. Remember to look beyound the surface the Great Author is the undercurrent. Enjoy the Ride of a Lifetime.