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Remove the dross from the silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
—Proverbs 25:4
Silver must be purified seven times before it is perfectly pure. Dross and impurities lie hidden within the silver, and only heat can drive them out. God knows that our imperfections, too, can only be removed by heat. Paul prayed that none of the Thessalonians would be unsettled by such trials. He told them, “But, of course, you know that such troubles are going to happen to us Christians” (1 Thessalonians 3:3). Satan, our eternal enemy, seeks to stop us (1 Thessalonians 2:18) and tempt us (3:5) in an effort to steal our faith. But our faith is like the silver being refined. It is that precious thing that keeps us close to God during a trial and keeps us moving forward when Satan is trying to drive us backward. Timothy’s return and good report led Paul to say, “We have been greatly comforted, dear brothers and sisters, in all of our own crushing troubles and suffering, because you have remained strong in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:7). Every trial you encounter and walk through successfully only purifies your faith and refines it to a higher quality. Stay in the fire, Christian. God knows that one day you will be “strong, blameless and holy when you stand before God our Father on that day when our Lord Jesus comes with all those who belong to him” (v. 13).
Suggested Reading:
Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13
Psalm 80:1-19
Proverbs 25:1-5