Chuck Swindoll always talks so realistically and hopefully about life’s crises: Crisis crushes. And in crushing, it often refines and purifies. You may be discouraged today because the crushing has not yet led to a surrender. I’ve stood beside too many of the dying, ministered to too many of the broken and bruised to believe that crushing is an end in itself. Unfortunately, however, it usually takes the brutal blows of affliction to soften 

and penetrate hard hearts. Even though such blows often seem unfair, remember

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s admission:

It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirring of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes, not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through all human hearts. So, bless you, prison, for having been in my life.

Wright, H. Norman (2011-12-09). The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most! (p. 142). Gospel Light. Kindle Edition.