...perseverance must finish its work

In order for you and I to experience healing, completeness and maturity, perseverance must finish its work (James 1:4). While God may answer our prayers for immediate relief, He most often brings about growth and change in our lives by giving us the grace to endure, to persevere.

In grieving, for example, God doesn’t take away the pain. He is there with me in the pain and perhaps it is of shorter duration because of His presence and His truth but still it hurts. If I get too busy, medicate myself in some way or deny the pain it only prolongs the healing. But if I face my pain and grief, in short, if I persevere, I eventually heal and become functional, changed and fruitful in a new and perhaps greater way.

Likewise, if you want change in your life this new year, if you want to heal, you will have to lean into it. Persevere with God’s grace and allow it to finish its work! Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem and by God’s grace He persevered and purchased our salvation. A cloud of witnesses is cheering you and I on!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Consider it pure joy when you have trials of many kinds, for it is the testing of your faith that brings perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. Peter took him in hand, protesting, "Impossible, Master! That can never be!" (Matt. 16:21 MSG)

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; (Hebrews 12:1-4 NASV)