The Great Purifier

[Guest guest]

The Great Purifier A woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest. It was just a curiosity about the process of refining silver, she said. 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 in order to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. She pondered 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 entire time the silver was being heated and 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, until it is completely refined. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed, he said. 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.” What a significant lesson the silversmith had imparted! The woman wondered. If today you are feeling the heat of the fire all around you, remember that God has His eyes on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. And whatever you’re going through, be sure, you will be a better person for it in the end. Illustrations: Ms. Vidya, K

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