The Refiner's Fire

I've accomplished my goal of finishing the Old Testament before the end of the year.  In the last few pages I studied, there are a couple of verses that have stood out to me:

"I will bring the [righteous] through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried:  they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:  I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God." - Zechariah 13:9

"Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand whe He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire" - Malachi 3:2

As I read these verses, the last part of the hymn "Consider the Lilies of the Field" began to play in my mind and I found myself humming, "and make their hearts as gold."

I did some research about the refining of gold and of silver and discovered that gold is refined at 1,947° F  and silver at 1,450º F.  It is at these unbelievable temperatures that the dross surfaces, turns into a powdered condition in which it is driven away by an air blast.  http://biblehub.com/topical/r/refining.htm

The intensity of the heat and the way in which the dross surfaces and blows away is absolutely fascinating to me. It sounds agonizingly painful when you consider in the scriptures that we too must be refined.  The ways in which this happens for each of us varies almost as much as the stars in the sky. But to know the purpose and the end result can bring an immense amount of peace.

What fires must I go through? God only knows. And maybe it's better that I can't see exactly when and how.  I don't think these are the kinds of fires we "escape" from.  I cannot run away, the flames continue to burn.  I find hope in knowing that the Lord is good and sees what is best.
 "[He] will bring [me] through the fire and refine [me]... and try [me]... and [I] shall call on His name and He shall hear [me]."  How many times will I cry out from the pain?  I don't know... but He will hear me every time and I will have courage to remain in the flames... And he will "make [my] heart as gold."  I trust this and it gives me peace.

"Here then is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.

Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process.

In our extremities, it is possible to become born again, born anew, renewed in heart and spirit. We no longer ride with the flow of the crowd, but instead we enjoy the promise of Isaiah to be renewed in our strength and “mount up with wings as eagles” (Isa. 40:31).

The proving of one’s faith goes before the witnessing, for Moroni testified, “Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). This trial of faith can become a priceless experience. Stated Peter, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7). Trials and adversity can be preparatory to becoming born anew.

A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures. From the book of Mosiah we learn that all mankind must be born again—born of God, changed, redeemed, and uplifted—to become the sons and daughters of God. (See Mosiah 27:24–27.)""  - James E. Faust - April 1979 "The Refiner's Fire"

-Alicia
(Faith Through Fire)