IRON TO STEEL

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction,” Isaiah 48:10 (ESV). On a whim I signed up for metal shop in eighth grade. I learned that iron, a relatively soft metal, is turned into hardened steel by a purification process that includes, adding elements together, putting them under a lot of pressure and severe temperature changes. The iron is repeatedly heated red-hot, pounded and pressured, then placed in water to cool it quickly. This tempering process presses the ore’s molecules tightly together making it stronger than ever. Character is built the same way. No one enjoys the conflicts that forge us, yet it is the heat, pressure, pounding and cooling process that gives our character hardened steel strength. Lord God, I marvel at Your wisdom and power to transform. Make and mold me strong for the battles ahead. Refine my heart and shape my life to do Your will.