And He Will Refine You

"The SILVERSMITH"
-Author Unknown.


Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they
wondered what this statement meant about the character and
nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver
and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an
appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything
about the reason for her interest 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 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 says: "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. If the silver was left 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 easy -- when I see my
image in it."

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

Bye Bye Fly Buys

N.B. Since posting this blog yesterday, I have had a message left by the Marketing Manager of Fly Buys that it was not their fault my favourite perfume was pulled from the Rewards list. I am hopeful that I will get my perfume in due time and thank Mr Lamers for contacting me through this Blog.
N.N.B An update, it is now 7 September and I thank Chris Lamers, Marketing Manager of Fly Buys, for I have received the long-awaited bottle of my favourite perfume. I will gladly continue to use my Fly Buys card in the future. Also, I must remember to not divulge too much information in future as I had made it 'public' on an MSN News Group the name of the perfume I was waiting to redeem with my Fly Buys points. Just maybe someone deliberately had my perfume 'removed' so that I couldn't get it??? I sure hope that wasn't the case...

Darn Fly Buys has gone and deleted my favourite perfume from their "Rewards" list, and just when I'd gained enough points to obtain a bottle!!! Not fair, not fair!!! I'd gone out of my way for an entire year to get the points, from petrol stations to supermarkets, have gone online and answered questions for Colmar Brunton for a few extra points to gain that gorgeous bottle of scent and told my boys, "soon I'll have my new perfume". Finally I have the numbers and went online at last to find it's no longer listed!!! But it was there a couple of weeks ago, I was looking @ it there!!! Now what? No perfume to be had and I sure aint gonna use my points on some other perfume cos I like my favourite one. And what will I do now with all those hard earned points, cos I don't need or want anything else in my home since deciding to go minimal this year. Oh well I guess it's good~bye to fly buys, and hello to freedom shopping.