Do not be afraid of spiritual struggles and do not try to avoid them: wherever struggles are absent, so is virtue; wherever loyalty and love are not tested, it is not known whether loyalty and love for the Lord exist. Our faith, hope and love are manifested in contrariness, i.e. in difficult and dire circumstances, both external and internal: in illness, sorrow, need.
Charity is like a seed; if you wish it to bear fruit a hundredfold, turn it into a good seed, giving charity simply and from a kind, merciful and compassionate heart; and be assured that you are not losing anything by giving, but instead are acquiring enormously, if you give charity from a kind heart and not for mercenary or selfish reasons. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me, your Lord (Matt. 25:40).
A person’s thoughts have a very strong effect on the state and inclination of his heart and actions; therefore, in order for the heart to be pure, good and tranquil, and the inclination of the will to be good and pious, one must cleanse one’s thoughts through prayer, the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, musing upon the quick passing and decay of earthly pleasures.
From the spiritual diary of St. John of Kronstadt, “My Life in Christ”