The refiners fire

 This week was pretty crazy and full of traveling and not missionary
work. We were able to go down to Salt Lake and go to the temple and
then to zone conference the next day. Lots of spiritual smacks in the
face! My favorite kind of revelation to receive is the kind that I
recognize I need and then apply.
At the training they talked about the refiners fire and when a gold
smith is refining gold he has to watch the gold which is very
uncomfortable for the refiner because of the extreme heat in which
gold must be purified. As the gold smith watches the gold he can see
the gold become soft, then the impurities melt away and then the dirt
rises to the top of the pool of liquid gold. Once the dirt rises the
gold smith knows that the gold is ready to be taken from the extreme
heat and molded.
This beautiful analogy reminded me we cannot become all we have the
potential to become without being in uncomfortable circumstances,
without erasing the impurities we have in our lives and without
getting rid of the dirt that keeps us from living with God. It isn't
easy for our gold smith to watch us go through the refiners fire.
Instead he watches us to know exactly when we must come from the fire.
I'm grateful for the gospel. I love my Savior and Redeemer.