“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” — Malachi 3:3
This is one of the essential works of Christ in His saving mission—the Refiner and Purifier of His people. Redemption is more than deliverance from the guilt of sin; it also frees us from its power. It is not only our salvation, but our sanctification—a preparation for glory as well as a title to it. Christ did not simply purchase the field for the sake of the pearl—He intends to shape that pearl into a crown of beauty, which He will wear until the end, when His redeemed people will be a “crown of glory in the hand of the Lord.”
It is a comforting truth that our refining is in the hands of Jesus—the same hands that were pierced for us on the cross. Let me always fall into those hands, whether He corrects, rebukes, or wounds—never into the hands of man—for His mercies are tender and sure. Your Refiner is Jesus. He appoints every trial, sends every affliction, and mingles every sorrow. He shapes every cloud in your life and prepares the furnace that refines you as silver and purifies you as gold. Do not fear, then, the knife that wounds, the flame that burns, the cloud that darkens, or the waves that rise—Jesus is in it all. You are as safe in the fire as you will be in glory.
And yet, how deeply we need this refining. What corruption still remains within us—what pride, what worldliness, what self-seeking, what hidden unbelief. These things demand the searching, burning, purifying work of Christ. This is the purpose of it all: to take away sin and to make us holy.
Notice also the posture of the Refiner: “He will sit as a refiner.” A refiner does not leave the fire unattended. He watches closely as the metal melts, carefully controlling the heat and removing the impurities as they rise. So Christ sits over His work. His eye never wanders, His patience never fails, His love never cools. He governs every moment of the process, shaping our hearts, strengthening our faith, and imprinting His image more clearly upon us.
If He places you in the fire, He will also bring you through it. You are not alone in it—the Refiner is with you, just as He was with those who walked through the furnace unharmed. God had one Son without sin, but none without suffering.
So look up. Your Portion is your Refiner. Be still. Be humble. Be submissive.
The knife is in a Father’s hand.
The flame is under a Savior’s control.
-Octavius Winslow (1870) – Updated for Today’s Reader
The Fight of Faith 