Kim Myeong-su / South Korea
I am a craftsman who works with precious metals, shaping gold and silver into pieces each day. My work is always accompanied by fire, a hammer, and a careful touch. Precious metals can never shine on their own. Only after being refined by fire, struck by the hammer, and polished with painstaking care do they become strong and radiate a brilliant light.
One day, while reading the Bible, I was deeply moved by its words and felt my heart begin to race.
God also refines us. At times, we encounter trials we cannot understand and hardships we never wished for. Yet these are not meant to make us fall. Just as gold and silver are refined by fire, so too are these moments the loving hands of God, strengthening our faith.
As I work with precious metals, I feel this truth more deeply. Just as gold cannot shine without fire, our faith cannot be perfected without trials. And just as repeated hammering shapes the metal’s form, God’s continuous training refines and beautifies our souls. Without the craftsman’s careful touch, the metal cannot gleam; likewise, without God’s attentive care and love, we cannot be revealed in the true splendor of glory.
Today, I am reminded once again that I am simply someone called to give thanks to God. As I work at my bench, shaping gold, I reflect on the grace of God who is shaping my soul. I trust that God allows us to go through the process of refinement so that He may recognize us as His people and lead us to proclaim, “God Elohim is my God.”