While clearing out my email I came across this story. I hope you find it as hopeful as I did. The message is very much a Christian message, and that is the faith into which I was born and continue to profess and believe in.

Author Unknown

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of 
Malachi.  As they were studying chapter three they came across 
verse three which says, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of 
silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what 
this statement meant about the character and nature of God. 

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining 
silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That 
week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment 
to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the 
reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the 
process of refining silver. 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 so as to burn away all the 
impurities. 

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – 
then she thought again about the verse, that 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 whole time the silver 
was being 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. For if the silver was 
left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. 

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 the easy part — 
when I see my image reflected in it.” 

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God 
has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch 
over you until He sees His image in you.