Our trials can be a blessing.

“For anyone seeking the courage to repent and change, I remind you that the Church is not a monastery for the isolation of perfect people. It is more like a hospital provided for those who wish to get well. Do whatever you have to do to come into the fold and be blessed. For some of you that is simply to live with greater faith, to believe more. For some of you it does mean to repent-right here. Today…

“This reliance upon the forgiving, long-suffering, merciful nature of God was taught from before the very foundation of the world. It was always to give us hope and help, a reason to progress and improve, an incentive to lay down our burdens and take up our salvation. May I be bold enough to suggest that it is impossible for anyone who really knows God to doubt his willingness to receive us with open arms in a divine embrace if we will but ‘come unto him.’ There certainly can and will be plenty of external difficulties in life; nevertheless, the soul that comes unto Christ dwells within a personal fortress, a veritable palace of perfect peace. ‘Whoso hearkeneth unto me,’ Jehovah says, ‘shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil’ (Prov. 1:33).

“That is exactly what Paul said to the Corinthians. Trying to help them keep their chins up-and the Corinthians had a lot to be grim about-he wrote: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4).” (Jeffrey R Holland, “Come unto Me,” Ensign, Apr. 1998, 18-19)

‘Paul regarded the Lord Jesus as the source of consolation, and felt that the comfort which he imparted, or which was imparted through him, was more than sufficient to overbalance all the trials which he endured in this cause.’ (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

“Paul sees fit to remind the saints at Corinth of the great afflictions and sufferings he has been called to bear in his missionary labors in Asia. Even though his trials were so great that at one point he says he ‘despaired even of life’ (1:8), he has trust in the ‘God which raiseth the dead’ (1:9)-probably a reference to the detailed exposition he had already sent them on resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul has experienced God’s deliverance from death as a mortal and furthermore has the assurance that God will ultimately deliver him when he finally does succumb to death in the future. Trust in God’s eventual deliverance from suffering provides comfort to all persons faced with affliction. Referring to the trials endured by many of the saints at Corinth, Paul assures them that just as the victory over death was wrought by Christ through suffering, so too it is through suffering that mortals can receive consolation and salvation: ‘For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.’ (1:5-7.)” (Robert L. Millet, ed., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 6: Acts to Revelation [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], 74.)

“Paul seemed to glory in persecution. It was he who said that persecution was the natural heritage of the faithful (see Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12). As we read of his trials we are reminded of the words of the Lord to Ananias at the time of Paul’s conversion, when he told Ananias that Paul was a chosen vessel, but that the Lord would ‘shew [Paul] how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake’ (Acts 9:16). Certainly Paul learned exactly what this meant before his life was through.” (Robert J. Matthews, Behold the Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 329.)

‘The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed.’ (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary)

Daniel was prepared to enter the den of lions; the three Hebrew children were not afraid of the fate that awaited them;  the Apostles were valiant for the truth and shrank not from death for its sake, and why could those men and others under similar circumstances stand by their convictions without flinching? Because, in the first place, they had the truth and they knew it for themselves; and in the second place, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, sustained them as that power alone can in all the trying scenes through which the people of God are called to pass. And this is so today. What the Latter-day Saints have done by way of preaching the Gospel under all kinds of difficulties, building up cities and subduing waste lands, and establishing themselves in the earth, they have done by the revelations and commandments of God to them.’ (Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses)

‘Knowing that God the Father, who raised up the Lord Jesus from the dead, as the first-fruits of them that sleep, shall likewise, by the virtue of his resurrection, and by a power flowing from him, as now alive, and sitting at the right hand of God, quicken our mortal bodies; that both our souls and bodies may be presented with you, to be both eternally glorified: this maketh us that we do not fear death, but are unconcerned, although by wicked men we every day be delivered to it, and brought within the danger and sight of it; still the resurrection of Christ is made the foundation of our resurrection, and a firm ground for our faith of it.’ (Matthew Poole’s Commentary)

We receive blessings and bless others when we forgive.

“When my sister was in the Young Women program, she, like many girls then and now, enjoyed talking with her friends and being silly whenever she had a chance. On one occasion a teacher finally got fed up and told her, ‘Leave the class and don’t come back until you can behave.’ My sister left and never did come back. That was 30 years ago.

“As Proverbs 18:19 reminds us, ‘A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city.’ It is so easy to offend someone-and so dangerous! The Apostle Paul, knowing how a thoughtless action or comment could affect a member’s attitude about the Church, urged us to give ‘no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed’ (2 Cor. 6:3).

“…This leads us to the other side of the issue: we have a responsibility to avoid taking offense and to freely forgive, even when we have not been asked to do so. One of the most frequently reported reasons for Church inactivity is ‘Someone offended me.’ We need to exercise patience with others. If we allow ourselves to be offended, any excuse will do.” (Denise Turner, “If Any Man Offend Not,” Ensign, Aug. 1998, 46-47)

“Paul wrote to the Saints at Corinth about the importance of forgiving readily, ‘Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.’ (2 Cor. 2:11.) Only as we forgive do we earn the right to be forgiven. This is an eternal principle, so taught by the Savior when he said: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you.’ (Matt. 6:14.)

“Paul certainly understood this great truth, for he taught: ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:32.)

“Not only need we forgive to be forgiven, but we must also repent to earn this great blessing. A prophet of our day has recorded that the repentant ‘shall be forgiven, according to the covenants and commandments of the church.’ (D&C 68:24.) Then this sweet assurance followed: ‘. . . and I, the Lord, remember them no more.’ (D&C 58:42.)” (Robert L Simpson, Conference Report, October 1966, Afternoon Meeting 128.)

‘The Lord expects more of the disciple than ordinary response to need, to opportunity, to commandment. He expects more humility, more hearkening, more repenting, more mercy and forgiving and faith, more service and sacrifice.’ (Marion D Hanks, General Conference, October 1976)

Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to God.

See: The Atonement of Jesus Christ by Elder Tad Callister

“The night of atonement was a night of irony. He who was sinless became, as it were, the great Sinner. In Paul’s words, God the Father had ‘made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.’ (2 Cor. 5:21.) To the Galatian Saints, Paul also taught that ‘Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.’ (Gal. 3:13.) He who deserved least of all to suffer now suffered most-more than mortal mind can fathom. He who had brought life-the more abundant life (John 10:10)-was subjected to the powers of death and darkness. As the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the brethren of the School of the Prophets, Jesus Christ is called the Son of God because he ‘descended in suffering below that which man can suffer; or, in other words, suffered greater sufferings, and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be.’” (Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds.,Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 436.)

“…missionary work is the work of bringing people to peace with Christ and God. Paul calls it reconciliation. In his second letter to the Corinthians he said, ‘God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, . . . hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Corinthians 5:18.) He then declared that we are ambassadors for Christ and that we should bring all people to be reconciled to God. Through missionary work, we bring people to the waters of baptism, and through baptism they receive remission of their sins and peace in Christ.” (Robert E Wells, The Mount and the Master [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 87.)

Godly sorrow leads to repentance.

“Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia, giving further detailed instructions…Another purpose for writing was to heal his relationship with them before he arrived. At the beginning, he worried that the Corinthians had misread his motives, mentioning there and later, ‘I made you sorry with a letter’ (2 Cor. 7:8). This could be a lost letter, although 1 Corinthians is harsh enough in places to qualify. That detail does not matter as much as seeing the unbending determination of Paul to speak the truth but to keep a good relationship with the Corinthians. He did not attempt to smooth over difficulties with superficial politeness. This second letter is a genuine second communication of gratitude that the first letter found its mark and that lives were changed. This combination of firmness and profound love for the Corinthians throws some commentators off guard. Since they cannot understand how the same letter can combine reproof and healing outreach, the Corinthian correspondence is often sliced into a number of letters. But this is purely artificial, for Jesus and Paul stood for love based on reality. Thus both criticism and concern can be given in the same communication. This is the case with 2 Corinthians, with an added factor. There were now two main groups in the branch, one of which had achieved the unity that Paul commanded, but the other stood defiant against him. So Paul’s mood swings in the letter to match the two different groups addressed.” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 131 – 132.)

“Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ (See 3 Ne. 9:20; Moro. 6:2; D&C 20:37, 59:8; Ps. 34:18; Ps. 51:17; Isa. 57:15.) Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989, 4)