Refiner's Fire

The refiner’s fire is an often-used illustration in Scripture, and its significance can be missed if we don’t give it some thought. In the ancient world, a silversmith was someone who worked with precious metals. Precious metals, however, require refinement. There are impurities lodged within the precious metal, and the only way to get rid of the impurities is to heat the metal until it becomes a liquid. When the metal is hot enough, all the impurities rise to the surface. The silversmith wou...