James 1:2-3; Romans 5:3-5; Hebrews 12:7-11

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

7 If[b] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

If a football team loses on Saturday because they miss too many tackles, guess what the coach will have them work on during practice the next week? They may have done a lot of things well, and the coach wants them to continue doing those things well, but he is not going to waste time practicing on them when they have an obvious weakness that needs to be corrected. And if it is a particularly glaring weakness, the intensity of the practice may increase, that's just how it works. No good coach wants his team to suffer for the sake of suffering, but to improve their performance.

If you are getting discouraged because you are being tested lately, try thinking of God like a good football coach. Sometimes He allows us to experience trials, not to make us miserable, even though, like tackling drills they may, but because like a good coach, He wants us to improve in our weak areas, that we might be "perfect and complete, lacking nothing."