Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel…
As I read verses 4 and 5 of the 25th chapter of Proverbs, I recalled fun times when James and I panned for gems while on vacation in various states. After
purchasing a 5-gallon bucket of “seeded” dirt from the owner of the gem mining
tourist attraction, we'd sit on a bench beside a wooden trough filled with
running water, into which each of us dipped a wooden box with a mesh bottom. Using that open-top box like a sifter, we’d dump a big scoop of dirt and gems into it. Carefully, we'd let the water rinse away the
dirt that clung to the precious stones so that we could see if anything
of value remained in the mesh container. We, along with other tourists seated
on the long bench, exclaimed with delight when we'd see a tiny sliver or a small
chunk (none were larger than half of a pecan) of emerald or garnet or quartz or ….
After we'd emptied our bucket, we'd head toward the office/gift shop, each of us carrying a small plastic
container that held our collection of gems and minerals. There we'd learn the names of our stones and the value of our collection.
Although we weren’t removing dross from silver,
as mentioned in Proverbs 25:4, we had been removing dirt and debris to reveal
the gems and minerals. Likewise, in all of life, we must extract the precious
from the worthless. Though the extraction process can be difficult and
sometimes painful, we must be willing to let go of everything that isn’t
good for us--and everything that doesn’t honor God.
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