How do we know that suffering has a purpose?

The purpose of suffering can be understood through the biblical metaphor of threshing, where the heavy flail beats wheat to separate it from chaff. This illustrates that God allows tribulation and suffering in our lives not to harm us, but to achieve spiritual growth and maturity. In this way, suffering serves to purify our faith, much like refining gold in fire. As it is written, God uses these experiences to shape our character and remove sin, leading us closer to His image. Therefore, suffering has a divine purpose which ultimately contributes to our sanctification and preparedness to receive His love.