Suffering makes known to God the soul's need for Him

"Suffering is good: guard it as a precious thing. Far better than any words of ours can do, it makes known to God the soul's need for Him. What causes our suffering is the disproportion we see between what we are and what He is. A soul would be petty, indeed, if it did not suffer from that knowledge. But this suffering diminishes that disproportion, and comes from the very effort we are making to reach Him. With the effort, however, is given grace: He giveth grace to the humble. There you have true humility, and it is the reason for all the graces we have received (and they are much greater than we realize). Humility acknowledges these graces: it would not be true humility if it did not. What hast though that thou hast not received? St Paul does not overlook the hast, and we must never forget it either. But he reminds us that all that we have received is the gift of God - we have received it. And what we have received is the pledge of what we shall receive. We must never mind facing our misery, but we should always bring it to God's mercy, which is ever inclined towards it in order to raise it up."

-- They Speak by Silences by A Carthusian