In that way, suffering can be regarded as one of the building blocks to community, as we see God giving life where suffering was present. Paul is counting on this. Remember that he and the Corinthians did not get along very well. That is why the first thing he does in this letter is reach out to them on the basis of hurt, by sharing his own fear and weakness. This may help them understand and draw near to him.
Affliction builds community.
It helps us trust God, to recognize our need for each other, and it builds trust. So an important part of the comforting process is that we are all in this together. The areas in which you have been buffeted are the areas in which you can best help someone else. A man in our congregation shared last week that he had had a difficult surgery recently, and someone visited him in the hospital. He was so touched by this that he now is setting up a hospital visitation ministry.