Al-Quran: on Patience, and Goodness...

Act patience; your patience comes only from God. Do not feel saddened because of them nor be in any anguish over how they plot. God stands alongside those who fulfill their duty and who act kindly.

Surah An-Nahl (16:127-128), Translation by T.B. Irving

My own comments: When we say all good things come from God, I think we underestimate how significant this statement means. I believe it means that all things that are good directly comes and are directly derived from God's attributes. So when we practice goodness - e.g. patience, kindness, love, etc - the actions we do and the emotions we feel are only possible because all those goodness come directly from God and that it is God who allows us to act and feel in such ways. By doing goodness to ourselves and others, we spread and amplify God's grandeur and attributes on earth.

When God explained to the angels that He will create humans on earth as khalifahs (i.e. vicegerent), I believe the above is what it means. Our entire purpose on earth is to act as God's vicegerents, to spread goodness (which is God's attributes and thus can only come from God) on earth. Each and everyone of us are khalifahs when we do our duty to do our best with our best intentions. And the best and purest of intentions is that when do something, we do it solely for the sake of God.

Definition of vicegerent: appointed person to exercise authority

The very first verse in the Quran that mentions about God's plan to create humans on earth is revealed in Al-Baqarah (2:30). In this verse, God clearly declared to the angels that He will create humans to be placed on earth as His khalifahs (i.e. vicegerent, successive authority).

And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."

Al-Baqarah (2:30) - Translations by Sahih International