*  AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI*

*Meher Baba Said of Pain*

" It (pain) is My Grace. It is My real mercy which descends on a very very
select few. These are My friends. These are my Lovers to whom I give the
gift of sorrow and distress. It is a gift much greater than gold - of
incalculable value and not given to all. This gift is only for my beloved
Children… Remember that I love most those whose hearts I pierce and who,
though their hearts are wounded, stay with me…"

To explain the necessity of the suffering that one goes through on the path
of God, Baba once told the story of sugar cane. It is a long, difficult and
messy process to make pure, sweet sugar from raw cane. First it is cut from
the stalk and then squeezed through a press. The juice that is extracted is
put into a huge cauldron and boiled for a long time. While it is boiling, a
thick, dark scum rises to the top of the cauldron and an awful smell comes
from the boiling juice. But after the whole process is finished, the end
result is a sweet, clear golden liquid.
*

Excerpt from the 'Gift of God' by Arnawaz N Dadchanji, Beloved Books. *