here he studied and worked. And then he put
his men at work to chisel off the rough corners, and thus to deliver the
angel out of the rough pieces by which it was surrounded. After many
days and weeks, and perhaps months of working, in which this large block
of marble had to submit to a great deal of chiselling and carving, and
cutting, and polishing; lo! and behold, the beautiful angel was all
carved out and stood complete and perfect. It was polished and was made
very beautiful, and when it was set up, it was the delight of every one
who looked upon it. But all this, you easily see, was only made possible
by that cutting and carving, which would have been very painful to the
marble if it had been possessed of feeling.

I think you will begin to see that these things which we call troubles
and trials, after all, are well calculated by God to bring out that
which is noblest and best in us.

When you grow older you will come to say like Paul, that you know that
"tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience
hope, and hope maketh not ashamed." You will then come to understand
that these things "work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory," and like Paul, you will learn to be "patient in
tribulation." One time when Paul and Barnabas were at Lystra and healed
a cripple, the people were moved against Paul by some wicked Jews from
Antioch and Iconium, and they pursued Paul and threw large stones at him
and hit him with such great force that he fell down, and they supposed
that he was dead. But Paul was not dead, and afterwards when he met some
of the Christian people at that and other places, when they talked to
him about it, and thought that it was very hard that God should have
permitted these wicked people to stone him, Paul told these Christians
that "through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of
heaven."

But I must not detain you longer. I want simply to say in closing that
when St. John had been banished to the Isle of Patmos and was permitted
to have a view of heaven, and looked into that glorious city, he saw a
great company, and he inquired of the angel who these people were. The
angel replied: "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night
in His temple; and He that sitteth upon the Throne shall dwell among