Some lessons you only learn in the hard seasons.

Romans 5:3–4 says, “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.”

That verse doesn’t say we enjoy trouble. It says we glory in it—not because the pain feels good, but because we trust what God is doing through it.

Tribulation has a way of slowing us down and stripping away what we lean on that won’t hold. It teaches us patience—not the kind that waits politely, but the kind that endures when quitting feels easier. And if you stay in it long enough, patience gives you something precious: experience. A faith that’s been tested. A testimony that’s been earned. A strength you didn’t know you had.

And out of that experience rises hope. Not wishful thinking. Not crossed fingers. Real hope—the kind that’s been through the fire and came out standing.

Some of the strongest believers I know didn’t get there by shortcuts. They got there by walking through valleys, trusting God when answers were slow and the road was hard.

So if you’re in a tough season today, don’t assume God has forgotten you. He may be forming you. Stretching your roots. Preparing you for a hope that won’t disappoint.

Hold on. Keep walking. God is still at work—and hope is being built right where you are.