Excessive Love of this Present Life. . .

John Calvin once wrote, "God uses tribulations to wean us from an excessive love of this present life. God fashions each tribulation for us as a perfect means to treat each individual'’s need for transformation. We are often placed in such circumstances because it is our tendency to leave unnoticed the vanity of this life. We need to be purged of it by force, and such tribulations and difficulties in cross-bearing help us to do this." Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 9 - Meditations on the Future Life

Beggars All has a thoughtful post entitled "Suffering" that is worth a look.