Proverbs 17:2-3
A servant who acts wisely will rule
over an heir who behaves shamefully,
and will share the inheritance along with the relatives.
The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold,
likewise the Lord tests hearts.
It’s hot in there. I don’t particularly like heat, and especially super high heat. I get hot easily. I sweat way too profusely. It’s just better if I don’t get hot. But, the place that silver is refined is hot – 1,763°F (961.8°C). The melting point of gold is even hotter – 1,948°F (1,064°C). I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t last long under that kind of heat.
Thankfully, we aren’t tested by a furnace. But we are tested. You see, gold and silver both have impurities in their natural states. That’s just the way the planet works. Nothing is perfect in its natural form. They have to be refined. Gold and silve come from the ground and have dirt and rocks and other impurities in them that lower their value. So, to get them to the highest value, they raise the temperature.
That’s just the melting point. To get gold to boil, you have to get it to about 5173°F (2856°C). So, if you’ve ever thought you were boiling mad, think again.
Now, if the furnace isn’t the refining place for our hearts, then what is? Well, its God. You might want to get intimidated just a little bit by that. God has pretty high standards. He’s way more picky than someone trying to make more money off of gold and silver. But God has a way of testing and refining us.
When you’re refining something, you have to keep testing it and see if it’s where it should be. God does that with us. He knows who we really are, and what we are capable of becoming. He has a vision for our lives and the way we could and should be. So, he will test us and refine us and do things to us to help us be who He created us to be.
So, are you going through something hard right now? Perhaps it’s just because God is making you into a better version of yourself.
