YOUR WORTH DETERMINES YOUR PAIN 9; THE STEPS

"Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountain tops and moments in deep valleys of despair." - Rick Warren

Change is the only permanent thing. Processes abound everywhere; graduation is not an end but a commencement of something more laudable. More responsibility. However, every change initiates a movement to another phase.

In pregnancy, the process continues from fertilization to conception with several changes along the line. These changes cause terrible biological and physical discomfort to the mother: It is an uncomfortable experience. Understand that, the pain the mother goes through during pregnancy is nothing compared to that she experiences on the day of delivery. Not at all. This pain isn't meant to kill her, but to produce something new. If the developing foetus doesn't go through all the required processes it comes out deformed. The same way we become deformed if we don't go through the complete process of refining.

YOUR WORTH DETERMINES YOUR PAIN 8; THE REFLECTION

"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.

YOUR WORTH DETERMINES YOUR PAIN 5; THE PROCESS

"The most important lesson that I have learned is to trust God in every circumstance. Lots of times we go through different trials and following God's plan seems like it doesn't make any sense at all..." - Allyson Felix

We will pause this morning, from our series to quickly examine, The PROCESS. Every finished product today went through a process. The cars we drive, the houses we live in, and even the food we eat. If this is true of THINGS, how much more, of us humans?

We were all born with a plethora of EMBEDDED talents, abilities and gifts that can only be harnessed after we might have gone through tedious, rigorous and painful processes. There's a saying that, "The child who washes clean his hands, will eat with elders". That is a process.

To become, that MAN, God wants you to be, you must go through the REFINING process; The BREAKING, The CRUCIBLE and the FURNACE, The DROSS must be separated from you. These processes are unpleasant, painful and uncomfortable. During this period you might lose jobs, houses, friends, finances and for some, it might seem that your prayers don't go beyond your ceiling anymore. It'd seem as though, God shut His ears to your cries and