We're working on our stories in our journals. And I want to share the next step in my Journey with you now. I was really having a tough time. The hardest part was blank. And that's what our them is today: SUFFERING produces PERSEVERENCE. Yesterday we watched the first step in the forging process, which was heating/melting, this represented our suffering. Now, let's watch this clip to see how shaping/hammering requires persistence to create the final object.

Wow! That looks like a lor of work. I think that is where the phrase- "Strike while the iron is hot" comes from. You have to be ready while the metal is hot and you have to be willing to stay at it until the metal starts to take shape. Sometimes people confuse patience with perseverance. But there's a difference. Patience is a great quality. It requires tolerance and an ability to stay calm as you WAIT for something to happen. Patience involves waiting and a truly patience person will face the wait with grace. Perseverance, on the other hand, is more than waiting; it requires WORK. You need determination and diligence to persevere through something. You must be willing to continue working even through things get rough.

Open your mission handbook to the journal section and continue exploring your own story. Prompts are there to help you. Write about your experience with suffering, and you may start to see God building a spirit of perseverance in you. God ahead and write for a couple of minutes. You may be familiar with our scripture this morning. Some people hear that Jesus is visiting their town. They're determined to take their paralyzed friend to see Jesus to be healed. The group runs into some difficulty but perseveres. I want to ask blank from crew blank to come down and read our scripture passage. Please stand for the hearing of God's word. Thank you, blank. you may all take a seat.

The people from our scripture today- the people you lowered their paralyzed friend through the roof- are great examples of perseverance. Think about it. They have to CARRY a paralyzed friend. That's no small thing. When they arrive at the house, they find a crowd that's unwilling to let them through. And I get that. Cutting in line isn't cool. Even when the friends figure out the best way in, busting through that roof couldn't have been easy. If the roof was strong enough to support them all, then it was solid. And I wonder... How did they get the paralyzed person up on the roof? How did they lower the person down without dropping them? When you think about everything it took for those friends to be successful, it's easy to understand how important perseverance is. When you struggle to find your way through an extra-challenging problem, you can't give in or give up.

Turn to a friend and talk about the questions on the screen: The friends from our scripture story had perseverance. But where did that strength and determination come from? Each of those friends brought with them strength and compassion built from suffering. God used their life experiences to prepare them for that day. The same is true for you and me. When we face tough times, God uses those experiences and makes us stronger for the next time we suffer. God forges us and shapes us while we're softened so that when we come through the suffering, we're ready to persevere. Physical, mental, and emotional strength are gifts that God provides. And as we saw with the friends, we achieve more when we combine our efforts. God wants you to roll up your sleeves and face whatever problem is in from of you. And remember, God designed us to be together as we grow in perseverance.

Before we head off, let's pray together. Loving God, you are awesome. You use our weakness to make us stronger, You use our suffering as a way back to hope. Like the friends in the Bible, help us persevere through every challenge. Give us strength to tear holes in strong roofs, if that's the path to helping people in need. Give us wisdom to solve problems that seem impossible. Fill us with passionate perseverance. We know you're always working in and through it all. In Jesus' name, amen. That's all we have for you this morning. DO great work today, and we'll see you back here this afternoon. Enjoy your evening off!