Many people have some pieces of gold or silver jewelry. Perhaps you have some genuine silver or gold coins. The more pure the silver or gold is, the more valuable it is. The process of making these metals pure is through refining it in intense heat. The longer and more times it goes through the refining process, the purer the metals will be, and more valuable it becomes. Heat, often intense heat, is used in the refining process of many things. Our portion of Scripture from Psalm 66 today mentions some things that are refined. Let’s take a look at what this Psalm says.
If you could speak to a piece of silver, and talk to it about what it went through to become a fine piece of jewelry, or into a valuable coin, it would have quite a story to tell you. That piece of silver is quite happy now to be a beautiful pair of earrings, a necklace, or ring. That valuable piece gets to adorn its owner on special occasions, and when not in use, gets to keep company with other valuable gems in a nice jewelry box. The silver coin is happy to have a place, perhaps in some special coin case on display. But either one will tell you that the process of getting to that honored spot was not a pleasant one.
In order to become pure, silver, gold, and many other things, including even white sugar, must go through a refining process. The refining process for most things includes significant heat, where the item becomes molten, and all of the impurities are skimmed off and removed. This might be done several times over, depending on how pure it is desired to be. Typically silver is refined until it is 99.9% pure, or even greater, so in order for this to occur, the silver goes through the refining process several times over. Talking to us, that piece of silver would tell us how terrible that was. Being put through intense heat multiple times, each time so hot that it became molten so that the impurities could be removed, would not have been fun. The silver would tell us about how painful that was.
Then, depending on what the silver would be used for, the silver would go through more pain and discomfort. For jewelry the silver is cut into smaller pieces, maybe formed into a ring, earrings, or necklace. Often the silver jewelry is engraved, and also the silver coin is engraved with its particular design. So while talking with the silver, it would tell us about how painful this was for it to endure. Now, though, as valuable jewelry or coins, the silver is happy! I am sure that the silver would confess that all of the pain it went through was worth it, worth it to become something of value and a treasure.
Our psalmist today knew that precious metals, such as silver, were not the only items that are refined. People can be refined too. God wants to refine His children so that they can become pure and valuable to Him (vs. 10). When we become saved, we are like something unrefined, filled with impurities and sins. God wants us to become more like His Son, Jesus, and to become something useful and valuable to Him. In order to do that, we must be refined, just like silver is. In order to do that, we often must go through some heat, some pressure, some difficult and trying times. Just like what the silver would tell us, we might not like or enjoy the process, however, the end results are worth it.
Just as fire refines silver in the smelting process, trials refine our character. They bring deeper wisdom, and help us discern truth from falsehood, and help bring us discipline. The refining process helps us to become more like Jesus, which should be our goal throughout our life.
Do we want to become something of value to God, just like a valuable piece of silver or gold jewelry, or like a valuable coin? Allow God to refine you, just as the silver is refined. The end result is well worth it!
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