Growing pains

When I was a kid, I slept in my parents room on the floor regularly, more often than I'd like to admit. I remember the growing pains that stemmed at night. Sometimes the pain would make me cry and my mom would assure me that one day I would grow tall and beautiful and the growing pains wouldn't haunt me anymore. I remember when I started playing competitive sports in jr. high and after long hours of practice on the soccer field my legs felt like spaghetti. Such pain, was it really necessary? But after the muscle tissue tore, it was a matter of days before they grew stronger and could endure much more. This equation doesn't seem to balance itself really: pain/suffering=growth/strength. I think sometimes we need to seek out the encouragement we need until our bodies have repaired themselves, and I've heard the older one gets the longer the healing time takes. So, then, we must also learn patience.