Fine wine.

When grapes are grown wine makers purposely stress them. They deprive them of water and give them an overabundance of sunlight. This process weeds out the weak ones - only the strongest survive. Those are the grapes that make the finest wine. 


James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes from God. He doesn't desire bad things to  happen to us, but from experience I know that he allows them to draw me nearer to him, and to build my faith and my character. 

Sometimes the things that are the most rewarding require first experiencing the harshest of conditions. Surviving the turmoil is what makes us strong...the growth in my relationship with my Father, the hope of eternity, and blessings that arise on the other side of hardship make every stressful situation or season worthwhile. 


He's making me new - finer and stronger with each day. Finer than any fine wine could ever be. 


"No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined." - Luke 5:37