Pain & Suffering

Physical/emotional suffering can, and should, be offered up to God as a sacrifice. This can help us grow spiritually. That's why God doesn't always heal us. He doesn't cause suffering, but He does use it to ultimately glorify us, grow us in spirit, making us a little more like Him. That's why we should never despair in our suffering, but have joy despite it, even if not happiness. (Consider that God used the greatest effect of Sin, death, to accomplish the salvation of everyone who accepts Jesus' sacrifice.)

All Christians are priests in the new covenant (called the general priesthood to differentiate from the ministerial priesthood) and as such can offer personal sacrifices to God...
1Peter2:

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

We are directed by Paul to offer up ourselves (this would include the painful imperfections of our fallen human nature) as a sacrifice to God...
Romans 12:
1 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Such sacrifice helps our growth in sanctity...
2Cor 4:
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Our sufferings, united to Jesus' passion, living it out in our lives, can contribute to our sanctification (which is continuous as long as we live on this earth)... we can even offer up our sufferings for others...
Colossians 1:
²⁴ I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

Jesus was perfected through suffering [need more study on this one]... so if our sufferings are united to His, through faith, we also can gain benefits from sufferings...
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,


Not just our suffering, but our worship and our good works and our fellowship, are offered up as a sacrifice...
Hebrews 13:

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

The sacrificial sufferings of others can serve as models for our own spiritual journeys. We are all saints, but some are entitled Saint so we know who can serve as a holy role-model for ourselves.
1Cor 11:
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1Thess1:

6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.