Does Suffering Fit the Christian for Heaven?

In his article, "A Good Reason for Evil," Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason suggests:

"God's purpose for creating us was to develop us into certain types of people who were fit to spend eternity with Him. He does that by conforming us to His image by helping us grow through the process of living in a fallen world."

So, in the suffering of the Christian, is it God's purpose to fit him for heaven?

I am going to have to search the Scriptures to see if this is so. If it is, it would have direct and dramatic impact on things such as work, trials, sickness, unsaved relatives, etc. for the believer. It would put a whole different light on the daily inconveniences of life, which we in postmodern America are so fiercely devoted to stamping out at all costs -- just turn on the radio to any commercial station and get an earful of that!

The reason for this fierceness is, of course, that postmodern man has abandoned God, and as Koukl correctly points out, has enthroned himself as god. As god, the Imperial Me cannot ever be troubled, pained, or inconvenienced by anything. So the purpose of life becomes making me happy (i.e., making me feel good) at any cost. Thus, postmodern man demands a god in his own image, one whose sole purpose is to make life for me happy and pleasurable.