Joy is a pervasive sense – not just a thought – of well-being: of overall and ultimate well-being. Its primary feeling component is delight in an encompassing good well secured. It is not the same as pleasure, though it is pleasant. It is broader and deeper than any pleasure… But for joy, all is well, even in the midst of specific suffering and loss.
Dallas Willard
From the book “Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Th1nk LifeChange)”