Romans 5:4
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
What it says
Perseverance does not stop with endurance; it yields tested character, and that tested character yields hope.
What it is doing
This verse traces the inner sequence by which suffering is transformed.
In context
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.