I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my Name and I will answer them; I will say, They are my people, and they will say, The Lord is our God. - Zechariah 13:9 When silver & gold come out of the ground, they are far from the beautiful creations we picture in our minds when we think of such precious metals. They must go through a LOT before we see lovely jewelry or silverware or tea service, or whatever they become. I have never seen that whole process, nor have I read extensively about it, but I do know this: If it went straight from the ground to the stores, not very much of it would be purchased as cherished items! Often we feel as if life is bringing us to the boiling point, as if we are melting, or being poured, strained, skimmed off the top, molded. These times make us less than cheerful, to say the least. But we must remember that nearly any creation, whether a wood carving, a garment, a delicious meal, a painting, a musical composition, building a house, etc. does NOT begin the way it ends. Much cutting & smoothing, stitching & ironing, chopping, heating & stirring, mixing & drying, writing & re-writing, sawing & nailing (you get the picture) takes place to make it ready to be used. Years ago I received an email from a friend that had a story about a silversmith. I cant remember the whole story verbatim, but I do remember this: The observer, watching the silversmith working with & watching the melted silver said, How do you know when its ready? The silversmith replied, When I can see my reflection clearly in it, its ready. Think about this: God is molding each of us to be more & more HIS image. He is working, watching & waiting to see HIS reflection in us. So when you feel like life is digging, hauling, washing, melting, molding you . . .God is at work!
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:25:55 +0000