"We are not born all at once, but by bits.
The body first, and the spirit later;
and the birth and growth of the spirit,
in those who are attentive to their own inner life,
are slow and exceedingly painful.
Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth;
we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth."
~ Mary Antin, 1912 ~
Think of a butterfly
which must struggle free from its chrysalis unaided.
It is difficult work, but the butterfly must do it unaided
in order to be strong enough to fly & survive in this world.
We, too, must struggle unaided to find our own highest good
and spiritual growth. Sometimes spiritual growth is
painfully hard work. However, when we break through,
we can spread our wings and fly!