We must learn the hard lesson that without the pain of inner irritation, the pearls of wisdom will not be produced in us. I lovingly call this The Pearl Principle:no pain, no transformative gain.Inside an oyster, it takes an irritant –like a grain of sand or a bit of shell – to produce the mucous juices that engulf and surround the irritant,eventually hardeninginto a precious pearl.It is the same for us,regardless of how much we wish it to be otherwise.Difficulties and suffering produce the aspiration for spiritual enlightenment,and it is this aspiration which is needed to motivate us along the path of awakening and liberation.There is no growth without growing pains– and the labor pains of giving birth to a new world and a new way of being can be the most painful yet rewarding of all.