Meher Baba Said of Pain

" It (pain) is My Grace. It is My real mercy which descends on a very very select few. These are My friends. These are my Lovers to whom I give the gift of sorrow and distress. It is a gift much greater than gold - of incalculable value and not given to all. This gift is only for my beloved Children… Remember that I love most those whose hearts I pierce and who, though their hearts are wounded, stay with me…"

To explain the necessity of the suffering that one goes through on the path of God, Baba once told the story of sugar cane. It is a long, difficult and messy process to make pure, sweet sugar from raw cane. First it is cut from the stalk and then squeezed through a press. The juice that is extracted is put into a huge cauldron and boiled for a long time. While it is boiling, a thick, dark scum rises to the top of the cauldron and an awful smell comes from the boiling juice. But after the whole process is finished, the end result is a sweet, clear golden liquid.