Does suffering always produce endurance?

No. In Romans 5:3 we read that suffering produces endurance, and it is evident that here he refers to persevering in the faith. Yet the way in which Paul phrases this seems strange. Why should suffering lead to endurance? After all, in Romans 1:32 he wrote that even impending death itself does not bring people to repentance. Furthermore, in Romans 2:5 he also wrote concerning people who refuse to repent because of their hardened and impenitent hearts. Suffering therefore often does in fact not produce endurance. As such, there remains a distinct tension in the mind of the reader—one which will only be solved in Romans 5:4–5.¹