Swimming With New Fins

So I converted one of my tropical neighborhood friendly fish tanks into a cichlid tank a couple months ago. Cichlids are generally larger and more aggressive than other tropical fish. They do fine living together as long as they have enough of their own space. However, one of my "Green Terror" cichlids was getting picked on so much by the others that it nearly killed him. When I realized that his fins were almost completely nipped away and that he was acting quite lethargic and sickly, I separated him assuming that he was already a goner. He looked completely sad and was hardly able to swim without going in circles or straight up or down. After about a week in "quarentine", a small tank of his own, I noticed that he wasn't sick, just deprived of his fins!
I decided to put Virtus (he's earned a name for himself!) into my tropical fish tank with my angel fish, pladdys, tetras, danios and rainbow shark. I was hesitant to do so because he is a cichlid, naturally very territorial and the tank was already quite crowded. Nevertheless, my little green terror is growing his fins back healthily and is one of the most neighborhood friendly fish I have ever had. I love his strength for survival. He first came from a place of his own kind that persecuted and teased him relentlessly, to the point of near death! Now he is in a tank full of foreigners and regaining his strength, his wellness and making a home for himself. Still as his naturally passive and kind self, he is completely accepted by the others. The rainbow shark gets awnry sometimes and chases him away from "the forbidden" Amazonian plant, but that's just what the shark does, (he's quite possessive of his home).

Sometimes life throws "curve balls", foundations are torn from under us, reality becomes cold and ruthless, injustice seems to thrive more than mercy and gaping wholes of despair open up beneath our feet. Virtus is my hero right now of perseverance and strength to survive, to find healing and to learn how to swim with new growing fins. I think God has given me a few opportunities throughout my life to grow new fins. How grateful I am for the wisdom and lessons that he's taught me along the way.