I, too, was wondering what lesson we can learn from this. We know everything that happens is a message for Jews, so its just a matter of finding it. As I was reading through this thread, something came to me.
The mine was blocked off by 700,000 tons of rock. But the miners made contact with the outside world, and through a tiny hole, they all made it out alive. A person can spend all his life sinning, and even if he has huge amounts of “sin” and tumah trying to get in the way of his neshama, all he needs is a small hole to start doing good. And a small hole to come back to Hashem. The same idea as concept of opening a hole the size of a needle, and Hashem will make an huge opening.
May we all be zoche to get rid of the tumah, and find the hole to come back through.