Refined Through The Fire

The Bible often compares God to a "Refiner," and us to "silver or gold." Silver or gold cannot reach is optimum value without other by-products (like zinc, lead, or tin) being burned away. And the only way to separate the by-products is to put the precious metal in a furnace of intense heat. Sometimes God will use the intense heat of difficult life circumstances to cause the impurities of our lives to rise to the surface so that we can deal with those things that hinder us from maturing and growing in the Lord. God wants to purify and perfect us to make us more into His image and likeness.