Did you know that not all gold is pure gold? A lot of gold has other metals and impurities mixed in with it and in order for it to become pure, the gold has to go through the refining process.
How that works is that a refiner will heat the metal to a really high temperature—roughly around 2,000 degrees. The heat makes all the different metals melt and separate and what's left behind is pure gold. The gold has to go through that extreme heat to come out better than it was before, and sometimes we have to do the same in our lives.
James 1:2-4 reminds us:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
We will have to endure difficult circumstances in life, but we can find joy in them knowing that God uses those circumstances to bring us closer to Him and make us better.
How might He be using what you’re going through to refine you today?