THE SILVERSMITH

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible
study and they wondered what this statement
meant about the character and
nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining
silver and get back to the
group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an
appointment to watch him at work.
She didn't mention anything about the
reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about
the process of refining
silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the
fire and let it heat up. He
explained that in refining silver, one needed to
hold the silver in the middle of the fire
where the flames were hottest as
to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in
such a hot spot; then she thought again about
the verse that says: "He sits
as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the
silversmith if it
was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the
whole time the silver was being
refined.
The man answered that yes, he
not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to
keep his eyes on
the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment

too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was
silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do
you know
when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and
answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"