Refiner's Fire

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this

statement meant about the character and nature of God .

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back

to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him

at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond

her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let

it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver

in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the

impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought

again about the verse that says:

He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he

had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but

he had to keep his eyes

on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a

moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the

silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, '

Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

A sister-in-Christ shared this story with me. And it touched my heart to know that Jesus is always refining us to be more and more like Him. May this story bless your heart too. =)

In His love,

Pat