He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)
Are you walking through conflict in your home or in your workplace right now?
Have you lost something that still hurts when you think about it?
It might be that you’re being refined.
Maybe the Refiner has you in the fire right now. And yeah…. it doesn’t feel good. It sucks.
But what if this time, instead of running from it, you stayed put?
What if you trusted the Refiner’s hands to hold you even when you don’t understand what He’s doing?
You’re thinking, “Easier said than done.” Yes. Everything in us wants to fight or flee.
But could it be that this painful place is also a holy place to be?
When the Bible talks about “refinement,” it’s not just talking about suffering.
It’s talking about God doing something remarkable: purifying your heart, removing idols, sharpening your trust, exposing unhealthy dependencies, and most of all shaping your character to look like Jesus.
And if you’re like me, you might be wondering, “Is it really worth it? All of this pain just to become more like Jesus?”
The answer is yes. Becoming more like Jesus is actually the greatest pursuit you could have. Because when your character grows to look like His, you become unshakable.
Think about Jesus…
No permanent home.
Constantly misunderstood.
Betrayed by His closest friends.
Rejected by leaders.
Surrounded by pain.
And yet…
Content with little.
Secure in His identity.
Calm under pressure.
Clear in His mission.
Steady through suffering.
Jesus was the most grounded, content, and emotionally stable person who ever lived. He is humanity as God intended. Jesus is humanity 2.0.
And that’s who the Refiner wants to shape in you. And since God is so good, He will take that terrible situation you’re in right now, and turn it into an opportunity to look more like His Son.
Pastor Matt shared a story about a Bible study group that was reading through the Book of Malachi and wondered how a “refiner of silver” could possibly picture Jesus.
One woman decided to find out. She visited a silversmith and watched him heat a piece of silver over an intense fire. He explained that he had to hold the silver in the hottest part of the flame. That was the only way to burn away the impurities. She thought about how God holds us the same way. Then she remembered the verse and noticed something she had never seen before: The refiner sits. So she asked him, “Do you really have to sit there the entire time the silver is in the fire?” He smiled and said, “Absolutely. I can’t leave it for a second.” Then he added, “Not only that, my eyes stay on it the entire time. If it stays in the fire too long, it can be ruined.” After a pause, she asked him one last question: “How do you know when it’s fully refined?” He smiled again and said, “That’s easy. When I can see my reflection in it.”
That’s what God’s doing with you right now. He’s sitting with you in it.
He’s paying attention to every single detail. Every moment.
So stay put this time.
Sit with your Refiner.
When the time is right, He’ll take what feels messy and painful right now, and then turn it into something beautiful.