"If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it. If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that  you become no worse for it, either through vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts." (St. Louis, King of France) Practical advice! We complain many times of the trials of our life, but we fail to see the many sins of our past life, which are more destructive in the long run. The trials may be gifts from God, not to make up for our sins, as to be purified from the effects of our sins. On the other hand, the blessings that we receive from God are given to us in spite of the fact we do not deserve them. Our response should be gratitude and service. A grateful heart goes a long way whether in difficulties or in blessings. Hard to do? Yes. But the alternative is worse.