'dark nights of the soul'

“Many times I have observed spiritual growth in others begin with such a sobering vision of the depth of personal sin. Such ‘dark nights of the soul’ can be painful and even terrifying, but they are also purifying—‘purgatory arriving early,’ as Luther said. It takes time to get used to living with the c lear truth about ourselves. But nothing else is so effective in teaching us to rely on the righteousness of Jesus the Messiah to commend us to God” (Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life, p. 71).