What Flavour is Your Tea?

Shalom:
I am sure most have hear the follow sayings;
"A woman going through adversity is like a tea-bag; only in water do we find out how strong she is..." 
"A person going through adversity is like to a tea-bag; one never knows what kind of flavour (character) in the bag until placed in hot water.

A few weeks ago, my mother and I were speaking on the phone. I was sharing with her something I saw in a moment of prayer; that part of what is going on in our lives is G-d's way of making us Holy. And Holiness is made through pressure, through hard times.
She laughed and told me that was the message  from her weekly Bible Study group: Tea; the Taste of Adversity.
Mother was sharing with me that; "the trials and storms of life are liken to a tea-bag.
"The hot water," mother informed me, "isn't what makes the tea. When placed in hot water, the hot water acts an the activator to release what is in the tea-bag. It is the dried leaves inside the thin paper bag that makes the tea."
Just befor the phone rang, I had place the makings of Sun tea outside to brew. So it was quite fitting that it was Mummie calling, to share  the bible lesson of the morning. The teaching of the contents of a tea bag, made me think about the progress of how Sun tea is made, driving home the point my mother was making from her story.

I have been making Sun-tea since my teens, learning how to do so from reading Mother Earth magazine. After  mummie samples my first efforts, I became the Sun-tea maker in the family.
To make a good, smooth pitcher of Sun-tea, you first need a large glass jar. I have an old, 2 gallon kosher pickle jar a friend gave me just after Mark and I were married seven years ago. They were going to throw it away, but I saved that beauty from the trash bin.
After giving your jar a good cleaning, fill the jar three fours of the way with COLD water. Yes, it must be cold. The cold water will prevent your tea from becoming cloudy.
Deciding on the size of your jar, place four to six tea bags into the water. Then close the top. Allow the tea bags to enjoy the cold water for a few minutes. Then place your jar into a sunny spot outside and allow the sun to shine down upon the jar. The sunnier the spot, the hotter the day, the better the tea.
The sun will slowly heat up the water, the heating water to release the dried leaves in the tea bags. Several hours later, you should have a jar of amber-gold sun tea, like the picture above, waiting to be poured over a pitcher of ice, sweeten and enjoyed.
Ahhhh.
But the nice, cold water didn't release the flavour, the colour of the tea. It was the warming rays of the sun. The hottier the sunrays, the stronger the taste.
No doult the Reels are in a huge jar of Sun-tea. What is inside of us as a couple and as individuals is coming out. Our strengh, our weaknesses. At times we taste like my amazing Moroccan Mint Sun tea. At other times, our taste is bitter and needs sugar.
I don't wish to be a bitter cup of tea, one that it takes work to sweeten. I wish to be Moroccan mint; refreshing, relaxing and a joy to drink. I don't wish to be a weak cup of tea; "yuck!" and then tossed out. I want to be good and strong, one that makes the Queen of England sit up and ask: "what kind of tea is this, please?"
"Make a good cup of tea, Yah. One that is pleases to all."
P.S for my Starbucks buddies; you need fresh, cold water to make a good cup of coffee too :)