What is Real?
“Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process."
- James E. Faust
We cannot transform if we're liable to break, or if we will not allow ourselves to be molded by the Master's hands. We should not mind becoming old, threadbare and worn, or what other people think of us as we become so; God looks on the heart, after all. He knows our potential even when we don't, and He puts us through trials because of His love and high hopes for us. Just as a silversmith purges hot metal until it becomes clear enough that he can see his own reflection, the Lord puts us through challenges to refine us into a masterpiece, like unto Himself. Through adversity, we too have the capacity to become "Real".
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