“knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”James‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Our human nature desires the life of ease and comfort. We like it when everything is going well. We do not want trials or troubles to come to our lives. But when it comes to our spiritual life, we should understand that true faith will be and must be tried and tested. The very nature of faith in God is that it will be revealed and strengthened as we encounter the many challenges that come our way. An untested faith is not a genuine faith. One of the qualities God is seeking to develop in us is this virtue called ‘patience’. But this word means so much more than most people understand it. The Greek word translated here actually means ‘steadfast endurance and perseverance’. It is referring to that ability to endure difficulties with a calm spirit that does not react in the wrong ways, all while we press on in our duties. And because this is not natural to us, our wise Heavenly Father uses the trials we go through to develop this Christlike virtue in us. This is part of the reason James says in the previous verse, “To count it all joy when you encounter these tests of life”. We can do this because we know, our Father is working good in us through them.