Malachi 3:3 says that God "will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out how silver was refined and report back.
She 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.
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She asked if he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The refiner answered that yes, and not only did he have 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.
"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He 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 is watching you and will keep watching you until God sees God’s own image in you.
