Something to think about..

A very dear friend of mine shared this with me and I thought I would put it on here for all of you..

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.Isaiah 48:10-11

In some rivers in the world, the riverbeds are full of gold dust. It is free for the taking; all you have to do is pick it up. This sounds simple, but collecting gold from the bottom of a river is hard work. Even when the dust and sand have been separated, the gold is mixed with dirt and other impurities. It does not look pretty. In fact, only an expert would be able to determine if any gold is there.

And in its impure form, it doesn't have much value. Before it can be made into coins, jewelry or other valuables, it must be refined. The impurities must be burned out or skimmed off, and the real gold melted and collected together. In ancient times, the purest gold was refined seven times in a hot fire. Some say that the ultimate test of purity was for the gold to be so clear and smooth that the refiner could see his own reflection in the molten metal.

We are like the unrefined gold—mixed with dirt and impurities. Only God can see the real gold mixed in. In order to make us beautiful and useful, God has to refine us. The trials and temptations that we face in life are like the fire that the refiner uses to remove the impurities. It is painful to be refined. No one enjoys being in the fire, but we can rejoice knowing that God is using the fire for our ultimate good.