Thanking God for tribulations

I started re-reading a book from my favorite author today.  I wanted to share the first paragraph from the book:

"Indian wisdom says our lives are rivers.  We are born somewhere small and quiet and we move toward a place we cannot see, but only imagine.  Along our journey, people and events flow into us, and we are created of everywhere and everyone we have passed.  Each event, each person, changes us in some way.  Even in times of drought we are still moving and growing, but it is during seasons of rain that we expand the most - when water flows from all directions, sweeping at terrifying speed, chasing against rocks, spilling over boundaries.  These are painful times, but they enable us to carry burdens we could never have thought possible." -- from Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate.

Ro 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.