We are currently in the time of year that commemorates the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.  One of the things that our tradition tells us is that moshiach was born on the day that the Temple was destroyed.  This does not mean that the actual person of moshiach was born on the 9th of Av almost 2000 years ago.  What it means is that at the very moment that the world was plunged into exile, the potential agent for redemption was immediately brought into existence. 

The same may be said for each one of us.  In our lives, we may experience a personal destruction, a cataclysmic event that brings us to the depths of spiritual bankruptcy.  We must remember that even at that darkest moment -- even before things have even begun to appear to have gotten any better -- the perfect serenity and joy that is to unfold for us in the future already exists now.

I know a woman whose life was at one time completely devoid of purpose; she had lost everything meaningful to any human being.  Over a period of years, she began to deeply change herself and begin a completely new life.  Conveying the secret of her success she remarked,  "When I look back on my life, I see that everytime I thought that my life was falling apart, it was really falling into place."