The Green Announcement — Page 16
16 deal was followed by another, and trials came upon them like torrential rain in a dark night, but they did not waver in their resolve and did not lose heart. In fact, the greater the trials that beset them, the faster they moved forward; and the more they were battered, the stronger they be- came; and the bigger the difficulties and dangers they faced, the greater the bravery and courage they showed. But they finally succeeded in their trials with flying col- ours, and were blessed with complete success due to their perfect sincerity, and were bestowed the crown of honour. All the objections of the unenlightened then vanished like vapour as though they had never existed. In short, Prophets and Saints are not free from trials, and have to face them more than others, but they always over- come them by the strength of their faith. Common people do not recognize them, just as they do not recognize God, and they are particularly vulnerable to deception when the loved ones of God are going through their period of trials, for they do not have the patience to wait and see what the future holds and are completely overwhelmed by the flood of deception. They fail to see that when God prunes a tree which He has Himself planted, He does not do so with the intention of destroying it, but only to help it grow and blossom so that it may yield as much fruit as possible. It is imperative for the inner purification and spiritual per- fection of Prophets and Saints that they face these trials which serve as virtual uniforms by which these Divine soldiers are known. Whoever wins anything in a manner contrary to this, only succeeds to a degree and is not