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and to tempt you, so that after you have fought the virtues
with the opposite vices, you may already find yourself in

possession of those very virtues that you think you are losing.

And then, your soul, purged, embellished, enriched, will be
like a king returning victorious from a most fierce war, who,

while he thought he would lose what he possessed, comes
back more glorious and filled with immense riches. Then

will I come; I will form in you My Dwelling, and we will be
always together. It is true that your state will be painful; the
demons will give you no more peace, either at daytime or at
night they will always be in act of waging a most fierce war

against you. But you, always keep your aim at what I want to
make of you that is, making you similar to Me and at the
fact that you will not be able to arrive at this, other than by

means of many and great tribulations. In this way, you will
have more courage to bear the pains.”
Who can say how frightened I was at such announcement?

I felt my blood freeze, my hair curl, my imagination filled
by black ghosts that seemed to want to devour me alive. It
seemed to me that, before putting me in that painful state, the

Lord gave freedom to everything I was to suffer, and I saw
myself surrounded by all this. So I turned to Him, and said
to Him: “Lord, have pity on me! O please! do not leave me
alone and abandoned. I see that the rage of the demons is

such that they will leave not even the dust of me how will I
be able to resist them? My misery, and how bad I am, is well

known to You; therefore, give me New Grace that I may not
offend You. My Lord, the pain that most torments my soul
is to see that You too must leave me. Ah! to whom will I say
a word any more? Who will teach me? However, may Your

Will be always done I Bless Your Holy Will.”

And He, benignly, continued to say: “Do not afflict

yourself so much; know that I will never allow them to tempt
you beyond your strengths. If I allow this, it is for your good.
I never put souls in battles so that they may perish; first I

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