What the Bible says about Pain as Motivator
(From Forerunner Commentary)
We can learn from this that God inflicts pain not merely because we sin. In other words, pain does not always mean that we are being punished; it can also mean that we are being shaped. The pain may occur because we are being formed and prepared for what lies ahead. We cannot be in God's Kingdom unless we are changing, living by faith, and becoming like Him. He is faithful to use pain to turn us into what we are to become. Otherwise, we will never be like Him. It is similar to going to school. School may seem hard, but there is a good purpose motivating the teacher's difficult assignments. So it is with God.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Pride, Humility, and Fasting