Crown of Thorns vs Crown of Life

Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which he has promised to those who love him.  James 1:2

     I usually think of temptation as something to resist.  James talks about it as something to endure.  Later in James, he tells us to, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James4:7.  The implication is that the devil takes the temptation with him when he flees.
     Perhaps temptation is like the old saying that tells us "Old habits die hard."  If the temptation is new, resisting it will make it flee.  But if we have struggled with it for years, it will not go away easily.  Remember that it is not a sin to be tempted.  Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.  It is only a sin to give in to temptation.
     One thing that Jesus endured was the cross.  It stayed with him until he died.  Jesus had no choice but to endure it or to choose his desire to come down from the cross.  He chose to endure.  Jesus endured a crown of thorns so that we can receive a crown of life.