"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." - Lucius Anus Seneca
Many people go through many processes in life, and somehow, sometimes, they feel the process too long, or the heat too much. I like to see these seemingly unbearable circumstances as "The Process". The process isn't complete until the one controlling the process says it is. Each step of the refining process has it's significant job to accomplish, none is more or less important than the other. One step leads to the next.
The REFLECTION.
The refiner sees a clear image of himself after all the processes are complete, not before. This can ONLY happen when the process is complete. At this point, the gold attains its highest degree of purity! And that, my dear friend, describes God's loving intention for allowing us to be in the "furnace of affliction." As we trust Him to use our trials to cleanse our character and purify our hearts, we will begin to see the "silver lining." behind every dark cloud of "affliction" we experience.
The refiner sees a clear image of himself after all the processes are complete, not before. This can ONLY happen when the process is complete. At this point, the gold attains its highest degree of purity! And that, my dear friend, describes God's loving intention for allowing us to be in the "furnace of affliction." As we trust Him to use our trials to cleanse our character and purify our hearts, we will begin to see the "silver lining." behind every dark cloud of "affliction" we experience.
