God Working in Your Life   

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3).
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 learn more about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
Later 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 in order to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, and then she thought again about the verse that said, "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; it’s when I see my image in it."
Probably all of us have been through the fire at least once in our lives. We live in a time when adverse circumstances abound, and hardly anyone is immune to rough times. But is it possible that good things can come out of bad times? Could God perhaps have a blessing in store for you that can only come about through your suffering and difficulties? Could He perhaps be working in your life right now, doing whatever may be necessary to help you to grow spiritually and to look more and more like Jesus?
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.

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