My husband, Brady, and I sat in morning traffic bemoaning what could be better. Our communication with our son, our budget and our date-night plan made the list. The slow traffic made the list longer.

As an attempt to mix things up (something I like to do when we’re bemoaning), I started playing a sermon from a YouTube alert on my phone. The alert did its job. The first words we heard were “Honor the process.”

Silence set the atmosphere. The preacher spoke of being faithful to the process of reaching a goal versus being preoccupied with the final outcome. His words mentally transported me off the freeway to God’s pottery wheel. (see Jeremiah 18:2-4)

Landing on the wheel, I wondered why the God of all comfort calls us to discomfort? Before I could completely explore my uneasiness, He carved lumps of pride from my understanding.

As we experience discomfort, God calls us to Himself. He calls us to grow.

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. – 2 Peter 1:2 NLT

My points of growth often come as I become uncomfortable with what He allows or requires. But it’s also the point for me to experience more of His grace and peace.

I squirmed in my seat considering how many points I’ve missed. Another chunk flew off as condemnation fell to the ground. The initial words of the sermon came back to me: “Honor the process.”

I quickly searched in my dictionary app for “honor.” I know it means “to esteem or hold in high regard.” But I sensed there was another nuance of the word God wanted to teach me. I scrolled through 18 definitions. The 19th held my nuance:

honor – “to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of.”

I knew God was shaping something in me. Acceptance. Of. His. Process.

Amazingly, my husband had one eye on the road and one eye on his own pottery wheel experience. Without a word between us, the Word changed the atmosphere. Brady gently grabbed my hand. We smiled. Bemoaning left.

Conformity settled in. God’s process to restore me from life’s hurts and prepare me for His plan, may feel tough but it’s transformative. The process is valid because it begins and ends with God.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Philippians 1:6 NLT

When life becomes difficult, it doesn’t mean His “good work” has discontinued. It means a new phase has begun. The morning commute from my objections to His grace took a while. But once I arrived, I found a surprising amount of hope for the heart and joy to the soul.