The Refiner

The Refiner

For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

Malachi 3:2

IN WORD Silver and gold do not come out of the earth in complete purity. In fact, sometimes precious metals are hardly recognizable in the mines; they look just like the earthy minerals around them. But an experienced eye can spot them amid the dirt, and a careful miner can extract them. That, however, is only the beginning of the process.

In order for a precious metal to be purified, its corruptions must be burned out of it. It has to be extracted from its ore by melting, which separates the impurities from the valuable elements. It’s a rough process, and if the metal had feelings, it would scream in pain. But the finished product is magnificent—a rare treasure of beauty. People pay extravagantly for such treasures.

God presents Himself through the prophets as a Refiner. He can take any precious metal, no matter how corrupt and indistinguishable from its environment, and extract what is precious and beautiful. It’s a traumatic process but extremely worthwhile. The result is something that shines with the glory God intended it to have.

IN DEED No one really wants the Refiner to do His work in his or her life, but those who welcome Him anyway are very wise. The refining process is never comfortable, but there is absolutely no way to experience the glory of God without it. We usually don’t see past the choice between comfort and the crucible, but it’s really a choice between mediocrity and beauty, or between boredom and fulfillment. If we really knew what God was doing in the refining, we would choose it every time.

Let that attitude shape your response to the difficulties in your life. You don’t have to accept what the enemy tries to dish out, but you would be wise to let your trials do their deep work in your character and your spiritual growth. God has a purpose for the things we go through, and it’s always good. The Refiner is extracting your beauty.

God never strikes except for motives of love, and never takes away but in order to give.

—FRANÇOIS FÉNELON