'Pesky ants' yield character

Peony: Could you please get rid of these ants that are crawling on me? Spray them with insecticide and kill them! I hate the way their feet feel on my buds. The feel of their mandibles crunching away on my pretty shiny bud coating is just grotesque. It makes my leaves crawl. Please do something before I die of the heebie jeebies!

Master Gardener: Silence.

Peony: Are you listening to me? I hate these ants. They are bothering me. Why won’t you do something?

Master Gardener: Silence.

Peony: Hello! Where are you? I’d like you to lose the ants for me. It’s not like I can brush them off or spray them myself!

Master Gardener: Silence.

Peony: I have so many buds this year. I’m going to bear beautiful blossoms – if I could only get rid of these pesky ants! How is a girl to make flowers when she’s being crawled upon?

Master Gardener: Silence.

Peony: My buds are popping open. Aren’t they beautiful? I just love the color and fragrance. I’m so pleased to make these beautiful flowers!

Master Gardener: You see, Peony, the nice shiny coating you had over your buds often keeps them from blooming. Those “pesky ants” ate that coating just as I intended them to do when I created you and when I created them. Your shiny coating is part of My provision for those “pesky ants”. And the “pesky ants” are part of My provision for you.
While you thought I was ignoring you, I was enabling you to be the plant I intended you to be. You were made to produce beautiful blossoms, but you couldn’t do it alone. You needed the trial of those “pesky ants” to open your blossoms.
Remember how I pruned you? How you complained! “That hurts! Stop that!” you cried. But I had to prune off the dead stalks for you to thrive this spring. I had to sprinkle you with that Bordeaux mix that made you sneeze.
But your life hasn’t all been ants, pruning and Bordeaux mix. Who watered you? Who put up a wire hoop to support those beautiful blossoms?
I did.
When you thought I was ignoring you, I was right there tending you.
And now you are fulfilling your purpose with your beautiful, fragrant blooms. Weren’t the pain and annoyance worth the price?

Peony: Yes, Lord, it was worth the price.