Transforming pain.............

A famous French writer, Alphonse Daudet, was stricken with paralysis in 1887. For eight years thereafter he lived in unceasing agony. Several of Daudet's greatest books--studies on his suffering--were written while he was in constant agony which no medical treatment could relieve.
Daudet wrote: "All of you who suffer, make your suffering a motive of spiritual elevation; utilise your pain to become good, to become better; think of me  who, in the midst of my glory, saw myself condemned to death but who henceforth thought only of studying that agony--that I might bequeath it as an example of my fellow sufferers. From now on I should like to do nothing but scatter happiness."

Two men, members of religious order, wanted to smoke while working. They agreed that each would ask his superior for permission. The first one returned to find the second one smoking and complained indignantly, "I was refused."
"What did you ask?" enquired the second one.
"I asked if I could smoke while meditating."
"Oh," said the other, blowing his smoke reflectively, "I asked if I could meditate while smoking."

Prayer is talking something over with God, rather than trying to talk God out of something.