Refined Silver

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
silver was being refined.

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"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire,remember that
God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His
image in you.