Miracles and Wonders
Refining silver       
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
 
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this
statement meant about the character and nature of God.
 
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the
group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an
appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for
her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
 
As she watched the silversmith, 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 says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
 
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the
whole time.

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 a
moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a
moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "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."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and
will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."