Refined through Suffering

"Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment." -Psalm 66:8-12

"A silversmith must submit unrefined silver to intense heat in order to remove the impurities. the result is a beautiful product worth a great sum. Our heavenly Father is the silversmith in our lives, standing over the heat, carefully and watchfully holding us in the fire for just the right amount of time. He knows how to make a perfect and priceless piece of silver. His love is so great that he will not be content with ordinary metal; he is making a masterpiece out of your life! We can deduce from this image that our Lord is actively and intimately involved in the process, not far removed. He himself is holding us over the fire, feeling the heat along with us. Did you notice in the passage above that the Lord himself brought his people into prison?"
-Carolyn Leutwiler