Silver Refiner

~~~ The Story of the Silver Refiner ~~~

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book
of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came
across verse three which says: He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver.

This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this
statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of
refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible
study.

That week this woman called up a silver smith and made
an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention
anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond
her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silver smith, 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 -
then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner
and purifier of silver. She asked the silver smith 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 even a moment
too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the
silver smith, how do you know when the silver is fully refined?
He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."