This word is submitted by Jane Larsen (jlarsen65@hotmail.com)

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                             The Rose

I had a vision of a rose.  It had a small pink bud, and as I watched, the 
stem grew and grew and grew, so fast that I no longer could see the rose 
bud.  Then the Lord moved this in me:

I am the pruner.  Do not run from what I need to do.  I will not hurt you.  
There is beauty within you. You are special, with gifts and strengths that 
need to be nurtured to grow and bloom.  If you run from the process, I 
cannot perfect you, for I will not force you to be ready.  I will make you 
ready, little by little, bit by bit.  Trust Me.  There are many things in 
the world that will try to attack you.  Bitterness, envy, fear, jealousy, 
anger, confusion.  They come to seek, they are the thorns that will come 
your way.  But look, here I am.  I am doing a work within you, a good work.  
I will cut back these things that plague and seek to destroy, little by 
little, I will nurture, I will strengthen in you those things that are for 
the Glory of My Name.

Do not run.  Let the blooms blossom.  Let your beauty shine.  Let your shine 
and your love for Me grow, each time I prune away that which hinders you.  
It is the sadness that I will remove, the pain, the things of old, to make 
way for the things that are new, that are yours through Me.  Be still a 
while and watch the work that is taking place.  Be still. I know you cannot 
see now, for this has not been the season.  You have been in the season of 
preparation.  The season of stillness.  The season of waiting.  The season 
of being made ready.  But each season closes to make way for the new and  
different.  Walk boldly before Me.  Your time of preparation has been long.  
I did not promise it would be easy but I did promise I would give you 
strength to get through.  I did promise that nothing would separate us.  I 
did promise that always and everywhere, I would be by your side. Now you are 
through, rejoice.  Rejoice.