Winter Endurance

Ὅμοιος ὑπάρχεις τῷ λέγοντι, ὅτι Ἤθελον ἰδεῖν ὄμβρους μεθύσκοντας τὴν γῆν ἄπασαν, ῥιγῆσαι δὲ οὐ θέλω. Καὶ πῶς ἐψχωρεῖ δίχα ψυχρίας ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν ὄμβρων; Πῶς οὔν φάσκεις ὀρέγεσθαι, καὶ εὔχεσθαι πνευματικῆς τινος ἀξιωθῆναι χάριτος ἄνευ πόνου καὶ θλίψεως; Δεῖ γὰρ πάντα τὸν βουλόμενον εἴτε λαικόν, εἴτε μοναχὸν, οὐρανίου τινὸς ἐπιτυχεῖν δωρεᾶς, ὑπομεῖναι θλίψεις πολλὰς, καὶ πειρασμοὺς, καὶ λύπας, ἄπερ πάντα ἐπέχει λόγον χειμῶνος σφοδροῦ, εἴθ' οὕτως ἀμήσασθαι τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΤΙΖ' Αθανασιῳ Ἐκδικῳ Source: Migne PG 79.198a

You are like the saying: 'That I might see the rains pouring all over the the earth; I do not want to freeze.' And how are the rains released but until the melting of the ice? How then do you say you plead and pray to be worthy of a certain spiritual grace without toil and trouble? Everyone who wishes that he obtain some heavenly gift, whether he is layman or a monk, must endure many afflictions and trials, persisting through every day the bitter winter brings, that after it he may gather the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 317, to Athanasius the Advocate