Blessed enduring the test
Charles SpurgeonYes, he is blessed while he is enduring the test. No eye can see this until it has been anointed with the celestial eye drops. But he must endure it, and he must neither rebel against God, nor deviate from his integrity. He who has passed through the fire and has not been consumed as a forgery, is blessed.
When the test is over, then comes the seal of divine approval: "the crown of life." As if the Lord said: "Let him live; he has been weighed in the balance, and was not found wanting." Life is the reward, the fulfillment of the divine purpose concerning us. A higher form of spiritual life and joy already crown those who have safely passed the fiercest tests of faith and love. The Lord has promised the crown of life to those who love him. Only lovers of the Lord will endure in the hour of trial; the rest will sink, or collapse, or return to the world. Come on, my heart, do you love your Lord? Truly? Deeply? Entirely? Then that love will be tested; but the many waters will not be able to quench it, nor will the rivers drown it. Lord, may Your love feed my love to the end.
Source: The Bank of Faith Checkbook. Translation by Allan Roman.
http://www.spurgeon.com.mx/chequera/meditames/setember.pdf