Consider David's Lord. At the beginning, He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. At the end, He sits at the Father's right hand, waiting until His enemies become His footstool.

"As He is, so are we in this world." You must carry the cross if you wish to wear the crown. You must walk through difficulties to reach the golden paths. Take heart, fellow Christian. "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning." Look at the lowly caterpillar. Though it seems insignificant now, it becomes a butterfly, full of beauty and joy. That caterpillar represents you, until you enter the chrysalis of death. But when Christ appears, you will be like Him, for you will see Him as He is. Be content to share in His sufferings, for you will be satisfied when you awake in His likeness.

That rough diamond is placed on a jeweler's wheel, cut on all sides. It loses much of what seemed precious. Then the king is crowned with a diadem, and a dazzling light shines from that very diamond, now perfected. You are like that diamond, one of God's people, undergoing the refining process. Let faith and patience do their work, for when the King is crowned with glory, one of His rays will shine from you. "They shall be mine," declares the Lord, "in the day I make up my jewels." Remember, "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning."