Patience...

"Patience is a virtue," that is what they used to tell us. The quicker ones realized that the only way to gain patience was to have your patience tried. Not many of us had a real strong desire for that sort of experience.

As things try my patience these days I remember what my friends and I were told as children. It is hard having your patience tried. It is hard to think of the fruit that God will produce when you are undergoing trial. I am reminded of this passage in James:

12(U) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive(V) the crown of life,(W) which God has promised to those who love him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire(X) when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and(Y) sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Am I patient under trial? I pray the Lord to lead me.