Ever sing a hymn and not know what in the world you were singing? How about “How Firm A Foundation”? The third verse is the one to which I am refering. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be they supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and they gold to refine.” What is dross?

Websters’ definition of dross is “scum on molten metal”. Dross is anything other than the pure substance that you are trying to obtain. In the case of gold, the goldsmith puts the metal through seering heat so that the dross rises to the top and is burned off or can be scooped off the top. The hymn writer is speaking, as it were, for God. God wants to consume the dross, and refine the gold. What does that mean?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that you faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (IPeter1.3-7)

If we follow Jesus then he is going to send hardships into our lives to refine us. He will cook us down so that our faith can be tried and proven genuine. This process brings praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. People see our faith in the midst of trials and they glorify God. You understand. You’ve seen the pain of others and marveled at how that persevered. You knew that it was only by God’s grace that they were able to keep going.

So get ready for the fire because it is coming. The rifiners fire reveals the purity of the element. By the time the process is over there is a much smaller commodity but what is left is purely usable substance. John the Baptist said “He must increase and I must decrease”. May the Christ in me increase and may the dross in me decrease until there is nothing left of me accept what is of Him.

Pray for the refiners fire.