I came across this story. In Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with  his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, "Prayers won't  help you get out of  here any faster." Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God."

Wasn't this the prayer of Jesus before his death, "Not my will but yours be done." This is key to our relationship with God. We say the words in the Our Father, "Thy will be done." But are we praying that his will be done in our lives now? The ultimate will of God for us is our eternal salvation and happiness with Him forever in glory. We may not understand his will in a given situation, but by embracing it we are uniting ourselves with God.

This is the road to true sanctity.