If God's singleminded desire for us is that we experience the fullness of life, our spiritual journey becomes one of purification. God, in his mercy and love, working at removing those obstacles in our lives that are getting in the way of us experiencing the fullness of life. The primary obstacle is our ego, that persona that has developed to counter the emotional pain of our journey through the imperfect world of our growing up years. 

The ego doesn't surrender willingly. it has to undergo a process of humiliation as its stranglehold on our beings is released. By its very nature, this purification process is uncomfortable and painful at times, a process that is willed by God in his great love for us.