  We provide an overview of recent work exploring the quark-mass dependence of
hadronic observables and the associated role of chiral nonanalytic behavior due
to the meson-cloud of hadrons. In particular, we address an issue of great
current interest, namely the degree of model independence of results obtained
through a controlled extrapolation of lattice QCD simulation results. Physical
insights gained from this research are highlighted. We emphasize how chiral
effective field theory formulated with a finite-range regulator provides a
reliable and model-independent extrapolation to the physical world.
