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.

WOW... I needed that

.
.
not sure fire is HOT enough for most women....

May need a nuclear reaction or something...

:whip:

Last night I got together with a good friend of mine. We decided to meet once a month to pray. We'll pray for each other, our families, our friends, etc. But last night, this idea of refining kept coming back to me. I can see in my good friend how God is refining her. And how that refinement is different than mine. I know it's natural, since the bible tells us that He has begun a good work in us that will not be completed until He takes us home. We don't have to be refined. We can be saved, and remain the same. But wow, what an honor it is to be refined by the Master!! God is soooooo good.