Refined by Fire

“He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

The breaking isn’t always the end. Sometimes, it’s the beginning of refining.

In the Potter’s house, brokenness isn’t wasted, it’s preparation. Before clay becomes a vessel, it is pressed, crushed, and kneaded to remove air pockets that could cause it to crack in the fire. That process hurts. But it’s necessary. Because what breaks in the shaping would never survive the heat of the kiln.

And yet, it is the fire that seals the form.

Maybe your fire was loss. Maybe it was betrayal, failure, or years that felt wasted. But here’s the grace: God never puts you in the fire to destroy you. He allows the flames to harden what He formed, to strengthen what He shaped, and to reveal the glory within.

Even glass, when shattered, can become a mosaic, more beautiful than it was whole. So yes, the breaking is real. But so is the becoming.

This is not the end of your story. It’s the refining chapter.

Because in God’s hands, broken doesn’t mean discarded. It means in process.

And that fire that should have burned you will reveal the gold in you.

Lord, when I feel undone, remind me You are still working. I trust that through every breaking, You are making me into something that carries Your glory. Amen