He makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Author and scientist Carl Sagan said that the material world is the only reality. If we accept this statement, then the universe has been cruel to us and has given us, as one cynically put it, "the grace of God and the career of an insect."
King Solomon stated in the book of Ecclesiastes that by human standards all things are vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2), but he also takes God's view into account. He observes a creative and destructive cycle of our being (Ecclesiastes 3:1-18) and concludes that everything will be beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Solomon knew that when we look at life from the perspective of eternity, we will see how beautiful the path that God has to offer us.
But Solomon also realized that God does not give us answers to every question that arises (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He exhorts us to accept the good things in life with thanksgiving, and to face the hardships that come with faith, not despair.
Shirley De Jong, a woman who at the age of 58 had terminal cancer, followed this advice. With her husband, she did what she could within the power she had. He looked back and saw the beautiful things that had happened to him. He views his illness as a tool that God uses to quickly take him to heaven.
True faith will enable us to see that even the worst pain can be "beautiful in its time" -- HVL
THE MORE DIAMONDS ARE FINISHED, THE BRILLIANT THE DIAMOND
* Take from Daily Reflections