Today, I read a simple but profound phrase;
Pain is inevitable.
Suffering is optional.
In my understanding, pain is the problem itself and suffering is the excessive worry about the problem. I guess the phrase means that though problems occur consistently in your life, you don't need worry about them.
From another point of view, pain is a stimulation given by a divine existence (e.g., Buddha, Guanyin, Amitabha, etc.) in order to help you integrate your body, mind and spirit when they are unharmonized. It is up to you whether you successfully integrate them or you are upset and completely disharmonize them. When your body, mind and spirit are unpleasantly unharmonized, you have a suffering.
