But each of us encounters times of crisis, when the world simply doesn't make sense. These crises most often arise when we must endure some kind of suffering especially when that suffering seems unjust or undeserved. Religious symbols do not take the pain away; they do not always give clear explanations for such crises. But they do make the pain endurable because they affirm that there are answers, even if we will never understand them. A religious symbol tells us that the confusion and suffering we may experience is not the ultimate meaning of reality. The religious symbol represents a wider or more permanent reality--an overall cosmic order in which the crisis ultimately has meaning and makes sense.