How can a person differentiate between Allah's wrath and a trial, given their apparent similarity?

What afflicts a servant in terms of calamities, pains, and sorrows is a mercy from Allah, intended to expiate their sins, whether it be a punishment for a sin or a trial to elevate their ranks. If Allah wills good for His servant, He hastens the punishment for them in this world. But if He wills evil for them, He withholds the punishment for their sin, so that He may fully settle it with them on the Day of Resurrection. The occurrence of a calamity immediately following a sin is an indication that it is a punishment. The servant should not think well of themselves; rather, they are commanded to be patient in all circumstances so that their sins may be expiated. For nothing afflicts a Muslim, be it fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm, or distress, not even a thorn that pricks them, but Allah expiates some of their sins thereby.