Something that seems timely to me.

[CFTraveler]

Although this is a quote from a mystical work, The Kybalion, I think it goes here well.
"The half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of the Universe, imagining that they may defy it's Laws such are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe, use Law against laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph."

(It is worth to remember that this is an ancient text, so the language may be outdated, and also that by Alchemy they mean spiritual alchemy, and not the chemical kind).

[ButterflyWoman]

This reminds me of a few things. The first is Jesus saying that "as within, so without". It also puts me in mind of something that the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (If you take away the much later Orthodox concept of who/what "God" is, and assume "higher self" or similar, it's pretty much the same as the alchemy statement, at least in sentiment.)

EDIT: I just checked my email and found this daily inspirational:

Sometimes, in hindsight, it may seem that your prior kindnesses were for naught, and that in the end, they were too high a price to pay for the pains you've endured.

That is, of course, until you get a little further into the future, when the pendulum has been allowed its full swing, and all the seeds you've sown have begun blooming in more gardens than you ever knew existed.

That's from http://www.tut.com/theclub/ and it's a totally free mailing list. I've been receiving the Notes from the Universe for years, and I quite like them. Some days, they're kinda spookily apt, too.