Exertions and Gain

Ἐκ μερίμνης καὶ φροντίδος ἀναφανεῖται σοι εἰρήνη. Τέκνον, ἐν ζωῇ σου πείρασον τὴν ψυχήν σου. Γύμναζε σεαυτὸν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ γυμνασία πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος· ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν, ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα ζωῆς, τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης. Οἱ ἐκ μακρᾶς συνηθείας μελετηθέντες πόνοι, ἀλυπότερον προσπίπτουσα τοῖς ἐγγεγυμνασμένοις. Μιμησώμεθα τοὺς ἐν τοῖς τακτικοῖς τὰς μελέτας ποιουμένους, οἵ γε ἐν χειρονομίαις, καὶ ὀρχήσεσι τὴν ἐμπειρίαν κτησάμενοι, ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τοῦ ἐκ τῆς παιδείας ἀπολαύουσι κέρδους. Ἀρετὴ ἀμελέτητος ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις, ταχέως ὑπὸ τῶν περιστάσεων ἀφανίζεται. Ἐκ μελέτης πολλῆς καὶ ἀσκήσεως ἡ Βιὰ καὶ ἡ ἀγριότης τῶν παθῶν ἀσθενεῖ. Ἡ συνεχὴς ἄσκησις ἐπιοτήμην παγίαν ἐργάζεται, ὡς ἀμαθίαν ἀμελετησία· καὶ πάλιν αὔξει τὴν πεῖραν ἡ περὶ αὐτὴν πριβή. Μελέτη τροφὸς επιστήμης. Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Δαμασκηνός, Τὰ Ιἐρα Παραλληλα

From anxiety and care peace shall shine forth upon you. 1 O son, in your life test your soul. 2 Exert yourself in piety. The exertion of the body profits for little, piety is useful for everything, having the promise of life now and in the future. 3 Long toils make them familiar, and with less trouble they come upon those who are accustomed to them. Let us imitate those who exert themselves to fight, who in the actions and movement of it are well trained, so that by practice fierce struggles are as play to them. 4  Being careless for virtue in deeds a  man swiftly disappears beneath trials. 5 From much care and hard exercise even the hardest suffering is made weak. 6   With much exertion knowledge is made firm, just as neglect brings ignorance; and again it grows when trial presses upon it. Care is the nurse of knowledge. 7   Saint John of Damascus, Sacred Parallels 1 Job 11.18 2 Sirach 37.30 3 1 Tim 4.7 4 Saint Basil the Great, Homily 22 5 Gregory Nazianus 6 Didymus the Blind 7 Philo