Gold has to be refined to clear it of impurities and make it of value. Gold unrefined is like dirt and has no value. Gold has to be heated in a furnace to refine it. This refining process gets rid of all the dirt that contains the gold. Gold cannot be manufactured. It is of the earth and is eternal in value. The streets of heaven are paved in gold. Some say gold is made by God and that is why it can’t be manufactured by man. Other metals can be manufactured and you can get a manufactured version of that metal, like silver. Gold is precious and because of its inherent value is used as a guarantee against currency. This precious metal is mentioned in the Bible as an analogy for how a believer is refined through trials to be transformed.
In a believer the process of sanctification is akin to the refining process. Trials and tribulations are part of the process of refinement. It feels like we are in the furnace and going through the fires of purification. This can be a painful process as the flesh dies to its lusts. God is a holy God and He refines us to be holy. When gold is refined it shows our reflection. Pure gold reflects like glass. You will be able to see your face reflected in it. We are being refined to look like Jesus. We will reflect the image of Jesus. Others will see us and see Jesus.
Yet so many of us resist being refined. The flesh is satisfied with being comfortable. The refining process is only for those who desire to be like Jesus. God desires a holy people. Our flesh wants to go it alone without God. God is holy and He desires a holy people. Holiness is a state of complete surrender to God. Only a surrendered life can be holy. The flesh is strong to resist being refined. This is the battle that we face. We are our worst enemy. We desire to be holy but our flesh resists the refiners fire. The fire is there to burn the dross and bring out the precious gold in us. God had predestined that we would be like His Son. We will be like Him when we see Him like He is. We will reflect the image of Jesus when all the impurities are burnt out of us. Come now and let us submit ourselves to the refiner’s fire and be changed into the image of Jesus.
