No one wants to experience pain. But there seems to be no other way to teach us some of the valuable lessons of wisdom, humility, and endurance that we need to experience in this life. Though pain comes to us in different ways—sometimes self-inflicted, sometimes a natural result of mortality—there are things we can do to minimize our misery and maximize our learning.

Drawing on lessons learned through experience, Hyrum W. Smith discusses gospel principles that can help us understand and deal with the pain that will inevitably come into our lives. He explains the nature of God’s plan, why pain is part of the plan, and the importance of knowing who we are. he discusses the liberating power of the Savior’s Atonement and the glories of eternity when “God shall wipe away all tears.”