This much I have learned: within the sorrow there is grace. When we come close to the things that break us down, we touch those things that also break us open. This is the point of healing: when we have told the story, we can leave the story behind. What remains is hidden wholeness, alive and unbroken.
The outward work can never be small if the inward one is great, and the outward work can never be great if the inward is small or of little worth.