Proverbs 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.
This is not a promise we look forward to, nor something we are happy about: the Lord will try the heart. God will test us. We will go through a refining fire. We don’t want it; we won’t like it; it is painful when God puts us in the furnace and turns up the heat. But the end result is beautiful: a sanctified, beautiful, holy person prepared as a bride, ready to dwell in the eternal Kingdom of God.
We don’t think we need it, for we think we are pretty good people as we are, good enough for God. But we are gravely mistaken. We cannot see how far we are from the glorious holiness of God; and we are so blinded by pride that we cannot see the ugly, horribly evil nature of the sinful self. We don’t see that we need discipline, chastening, and a heated refining furnace of fire. But the Lord sees and knows what we need.
Gold and silver is precious and pretty, but they hold many impurities, which must be refined out. Just like us. We need our loving Lord to put us in the refining fire and turn up the heat. He sees what we don’t. Our refining experiences will be big and bad, and also small and gentle, designed by God to shape and refine. “Our momentary, light afflictions are working for us an eternal weight of glory.” He tries the hearts to make it happen.
We should, but we won’t, love God for this promise and thank Him for the present trials and troubles we are going through. He loves us so much He designs the experiences we undergo as a refining fire to purify and refine. Yes, it is a promise: your Lord will try your heart. He is making something out of nothing, giving beauty for ashes, and making purity out of filth. Thank God!