Today I had a conversation with a man of God and we discussed our mutual struggles. We metaphorically related our sanctification to the purification process of gold. God takes us, a filthy mass of impurities, minerals, and a little gold all mixed together and plunges us into the fiery melting pot. He lets us sit there and burn and melt as our sin floats to the top and becomes visible, many times miserably. As our sin is brought into the open, and we repent, our risen savior rakes the impurities off the top, and casts them out of the mold. We are then plunged right back into the furnace to continue the process. We wonder why sanctification has to be so grueling. Why must it go like this? Why can’t this just be easy? The fact is, refinement is not easy. It takes heat, and lots of it to melt down gold and it’s only when it’s melted down that the imperfection can be removed. Every time he plunges us into the fire it’s not to punish us, but because he knows what a refined piece of gold looks like. Our creator knows who’s image we were created in and exactly what it will take to bring us back to what we were created for. God is not satisfied with anything other than perfection, and because of that we know that he loves us. Through his refinement and discipline we know that he cares about us. He is using every struggle that we have to make us more like him, and thereby working all things together for our good, from an eternal perspective. If you're wondering why this struggle won’t leave you, just remember, you aren’t a finished product. Thank God that he is not content with an impure piece of gold….
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