Refining Fire

Just the other day, I was taking a walk on the beaches of Ensenada, looking out over the ocean as the tide was coming in. As each wave rolled onto the shore, gravity was sure to pull it back, moving the sand with it, sifting through the top layers of the shore. In that moment, God spoke to my heart, “I am going to sift you as the waters sift through the sand.” I feel like this something we all have to go through, a process in which God refines us, sifting through our character, removing the imperfections, and making us more like his son, Jesus Christ. This is not a comfortable place to be, no, it hurts to go through this refining process.
In the bible it often uses the imagery of gold refined in the fire. I recently heard a teaching on refinement, and the woman who was sharing with us spoke of a silversmith. She said, when someone is trying to purify silver, they heat the fire and place the metal in the flames. They stay near the flames edge watching the silver so that it doesn’t burn or go bad, and they wait. The silversmith will check the silver, and will only remove it when he can see his image in the metal. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? God is putting us through flames, a fire that is meant to refine. He is standing by and is near to us so that we do not burn; however, He will not pull us out of that place until He can see His own reflection in us. So persevere through those difficult times, God is refining your character, and one day, He will be able to see His reflection in you.