In the year 249 AD, the Roman Empire faced a devastating plague that would last 21 years. The Cyprian plague claimed an estimated 5,000 lives daily, reducing Alexandria's population from 500,000 to just 190,000. During this crisis, Cyprian of Carthage, a church leader, wrote to Christians struggling with fear and exhaustion. His powerful words still resonate today: "The trial does not take away our hope. It tests it."