I read a story recently about a woman who read Malachi 3:3, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She wanted to find out more about the meaning of that verse, so she made arrangements to watch a silversmith at work refining silver. He sat beside a very hot fire and held the silver over the center of the flames where it was hottest. He told her he had to sit there and carefully keep his eyes on the silver as the impurities were burned away, because if he continued to hold it there even a moment too long, the silver would be damaged. She asked, “How do you know when the purification is complete?” He answered, “That’s easy. It is complete when I can see my image in it.” It was then she got the full picture of God refining His people like a silversmith until our impurities are burned away and He can see His image in us.
I can tell you from experience, that purification process is not comfortable. The heat is intense from the flames of testing and trial. Some of the impurities in our life have been there so long that they seem to have become a part of who we are. Seeing them turn to ashes and disappear is traumatic, although a necessary part of our purification. Through it all, we can be confident that the Great Silversmith has His eyes on us the entire time and will never allow us to be harmed during the process. When it is finished, not only will God see His image in us, but everyone around us will see it too.
Whether you are in the fire now, or have been refined, I hope you find encouragement from this brief blog post.