The story of the man who tried to help a butterfly come out of its cocoon fascinated me when I was much younger.  The butterfly, after a few hours, had managed to make a small hole, but its body was too big to pass through the hole.  The man decided to help the butterfly, after all, it appeared to be struggling.  He cut the cocoon open to free the butterfly. But the butterfly’s wings were crumpled and its body were wrinkled and small. The man watched and waited, hoping that soon the butterfly would spread its wings and fly away.  It didn’t happen.  Instead the the butterfly dragged itself around for the rest of its life, never experiencing what it was born to do – to fly. You see, that tight cocoon was exactly what the butterfly needed to experience to be able to strengthen its wings and fly.  Getting rid of the “process” in an effort to help the butterfly meant that it would never be able to fly.   As kind as the man was trying to be, he ended up hurting the butterfly. Isn’t that how life is?  I must admit, there have been so many times when I’ve wondered why I have to experience certain situations.  But after the experience I often realize that, but for that process I would not have reached the new level God took me to. So today I remind myself and you to try not to despise the process. Where you are right now and where you were in the past is part of your own unique story. The same holds true for me.  We will emerge FINE and REFINED.  And we will not only fly, but we will soar.  Let’s believe that for each other.