"The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness."

"This station is the dying from self and the living in God, the being poor in self and rich in the Desired One. Poverty as here referred to signifieth being poor in the things of the created world, rich in the things of God’s world. For when the true lover and devoted friend reacheth to the presence of the Beloved, the sparkling beauty of the Loved One and the fire of the lover’s heart will kindle a blaze and burn away all veils and wrappings. Yea, all he hath, from heart to skin, will be set aflame, so that nothing will remain save the Friend."

'When the qualities of the Ancient of Days stood revealed,
Then the qualities of earthly things did Moses burn away.' (fromThe Mathnaví)

-Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys of Baha'u'llah, p. 36

"Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him."

"Does the soul progress more through sorrow or through the joy in this world?" --The mind and spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the harvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and you will find that the greatest men have suffered most."

-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.178-179

Frank McKelvey RMA