The Father speaks to His storm-tossed people and comforts them with the promise that He will personally redeem their sufferings by giving them a solid, attractive foundation of antimony and sapphire. 

  The Lord Jesus could have shielded His disciples with His great authority and power so that they lived trouble-free every day. But He didn’t. In fact Charles Stanley points out that “He led them into squall after squall – not to dishearten them, but to make their hearts stronger.” To have strong bodies we must challenge them with the rigors of weight-lifting  calascentics, stretching, and running. To grow strong character attributes, the Father challenges us with many difficulties and storms in this life. Knowing the disciples would face many obstacles because of their allegiance to Him, He built their virtue, faith, and  stamina so they could handle the approaching difficulties of life. 

  The Father has Kingdom purposes for you, too, so He is using the current buffering of storms in your life to prepare you.

  The bad news is that life is struggle after struggle. The good news is that the Father is in control and has a plan for the troubles in your life, to conform you to the image of His Son

  Be courageous. He will see you through every struggle. One day you will look.back, see how much He has changed you, and you will thank Him.

[Charles Stanley: “Jesus, Our Perfect Hope,” p. 29].