Alma’s joy in forgiveness is structured to be parallel to and a balance for the pain and anguish of sin. Whether seen as a literary chiasm (as does Welch) or a less complex balancing of opposites, this message is powerful. The joy is as exquisite as the pain. While it is likely true that the joy is greater than the pain (note “there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy”), the passage’s structure requires the two elements to be phrased as a balance.