I came across this quote while doing my homework. It is from a book called Lord, Only You Can Change Me which is a study on the Beatitudes. I thought this was really neat.
“How does suffering prepare us for glory? Suffering rids of the dross in our lives; it is God’s crucible of purification. With this in mind [read 1 Peter 1:6-7]:
‘In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’
Do you know what I mean when I speak of ‘God’s crucible of purification’? It’s a word picture drawn from the ancient art of the mining and purification of silver. When silver is first extracted from the earth, it is tainted by various impurities. Purification occurs in a crucible over a hot flame. The process of heating the metal to a molten state and skimming off the impurities may be repeated as often as seven times, with each purifying fire more intense than the last. In this way, the metal finally yields the last of its impurities, leaving pure silver behind.
During the purification process, the silversmith skims off the dross that floats to the top of the liquid silver. Looking into the smooth pool of molten metal, the craftsman searches for his own reflected image on the surface. At first the image is very dim, and he knows that impurities remain. So he builds the fire to an even greater intensity. He never leaves the crucible unattended but hovers beside it, watching it closely. He repeats the process over and over until, finally, he sees a clear and perfect image of himself. When the sliver becomes a mirror, he knows it is pure.
This, Beloved, is how suffering and persecution prepare us for glory. It is a fire God uses to consume the dross of our lives so that we finally reflect a clear and perfect image of Him.” (pg. 215-216)
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