“The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold and the Lord test hearts.”Proverbs 17:3 – ESV
A crucible is a container that is used to melt whatever is placed inside of it. In this case silver. Once the silver is in liquid form it is poured into a mold and becomes a new creation.
Same substance…
…different shape.
A furnace is used for gold to melt it and burn off contaminates. Once melted and clean, the gold is poured into a mold and becomes a new creation.
Same substance…
…different shape.
God tests our hearts, places us in extreme circumstances… “Hot” circumstances that “melt our hearts” making them moldable. Then He takes our softened hearts and shapes them to be more like His.
Same substance…
…different shape.
Why?
He is not content to let you stay the way you are.
The better question is: how “hot” do the tests have to be in-order for your heart to become moldable in His hands?
For me…. I want it to be less than most, I desire for “test temps” to be low.
However, I’m afraid their much higher than I would like to admit.
So… with that I stop with this particular post and I am going to set my mind to lower the resistance level of my heart…
so it is easier (on me) for Him to mold it according to His will.
What did you see from the passage today?
phillipbrande.com 
Phillip-thank you! Ours is to receive from the Lord and sometimes HIS most beautiful gifts to us come in the midst of our greatest suffering. As a young adult single I would ponder why HE waited until I was in my early 30’s to bring Schon into my life?? But my role was to prepare myself for marriage and motherhood by learning to trust Jesus as my husband. I am so grateful for that time alone with the Lord for the preperation it provided me…. as I had a heart to be like Rebekkah who wanted to be found serving the Lord when Issac came her way. I had no idea then how valuable those life lessons would become to me until Sarah Talbot Duke (Tally) was born…for at the very young age of 15 months she was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. Since I studied fashion merchandising/marketing in college(ran from the site of blood)….early on I would question “who signed me up for this”?~ i am here to testify that in my most dire need of needing to know what to do when her blood sugars dropped so low or ran way to high and Childrens Hospital was 3 hours away…. my only choice was to trust the instruction my Lord/Savior would give me in the wee hours of the morning…… Now she is nearly 14 yrs. old and the picture of health with God receiving all glory and honor that is so DUE HIM!!
That is a great testimony… God is good.