Christ—A Refiner

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“For he is like a refiner’s fire. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Mal. 3:2, 3).
A Lady in Dublin became interested in the meaning of this text and called upon a silversmith and asked him to explain the process of refining, which he did. “But do you sit, sir, while you are refining?” she asked. “Oh, yes, madam, I must sit, with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, since if the silver remain too long it is sure to be injured.” She at once saw the beauty of the text. Christ sees it needful to put His children into the furnace, but He is seated by the side of it, and will permit them to remain in it no longer than is best. The lady was leaving, and got as far as the door of the shop, when the man called her back and said he had forgotten to tell her how he knew when the process of purifying was complete—it was when he saw his own image reflected in the silver. O, yes, when Christ sees His own image in His people, then His work of purifying is accomplished.

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