Have you been refined? posted by jwatson on May 06, 2013

• If you have ever been refined you know the pain.
• If you have ever been refined you know the struggle.
• If you have ever been refined you know the sacrifice.

Being a Christian means you are a new creation, the old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I will be the first to say, I wish it were easy! I wish it were an overnight transformation. But we both know it isn’t.

Recently, as I sat with a Bible study group, I reflected on the analogy of God as a blacksmith. A blacksmith uses extreme heat to shape metal objects. In many cases, to continue to work on a piece of metal he will heat a section until it is malleable and then will use water to quickly cool the piece as he begins to heat another section to be altered. At a minimum, it is a very stressful experience for the metal. Aren’t you excited to know that we are the metal!?!

Being refined is a painful experience. God is actively stripping away our old selves and shaping us in his character. That is why you can’t be a “kinda” Christian. Once the process starts, God will refine you to completion.