Alas! If an unsubstantial vision of the temporal birth of the Son of God so powerfully ravished and delighted the heart of a child, what will it be when our minds, gloriously illumined by the blessed light of glory, will see that eternal birth, by which the Son proceeds, true God of true God, divinely and eternally born of the Father? Then will the soul be deified, filled with God, and made like to God, by an eternal and immutable participation of God, uniting Himself to it as fire does to the iron which it penetrates, communicating its light, brilliancy, heat, and other qualities, in such a manner that both seem one and the same fire. –-St Francis de Sales

St Francis de Sales

All things contribute to good for those who love God. And, as a matter of fact, since God can and does know how to draw good from evil, for whom should He do it, if not for those who, without reserve, have given themselves to Him?

Yes, even sins, from which God by His goodness defends us, are reduced by Divine Providence to good for those who belong to Him. Never would David have been so full of humility had he not sinned, nor would Mary Magdalene have been so full of love for her Lord if He had not remitted so many of her sins. And never could He have forgiven her these sins if she had not committed them.

You see, my daughter, this great architect of mercy: He converts our miseries into grace and makes salutary medicine for our souls from the venom of our iniquities.

Tell me, please, what could He not do with our afflictions, our sufferings and the persecutions that we endure? If, then, you are ever touched by some unpleasantness, from wherever it may come, assure your soul that, if it loves God, everything will be converted to good. And although you may not see the means by which this good will happen to you, be assured that it will happen. –St Francis de Sales in a letter to a novice sister

St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal, along with Visitation sisters.

Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.

Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew. ―St. Francis de Sales

“To go to God there are many ways perhaps more excellent than the one we follow; let us recognize its excellence, but let us put forth all our efforts to progress in the way God has given us, because it is there where He wants us to be.”  –St Francis de Sales

St Francis de Sales

….a good soul greatly tempted. Let it be exceedingly humbled, but not astonished: the lilies that grow among thorns are the whitest. What does he know, who has not been tempted? It may change the bodily exercise, if the pain lie in the thoughts; if it cannot conveniently change the occupation, let it change the posture; by this diversity, it will find relief. If the pain fill the imagination, it is good to sing, to join the company of others, or to pass from one spiritual exercise to another. Above all, let the soul not be astonished, but frequently renew its vows, and be humbled before God. Let it promise itself victory through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. –Saint Francis de Sales