Prov 25:4-5

"Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness" Prov 25:4-5

Purity. It's more than a bakery! It is a way of life. It is a virtue that will stand the test of time. A jeweler can't use silver that is laced with dross - impurities. When he begins to draw it - pull it into wire, it will break. When he wants to solder it together, the dross splatters and causes the joint to fail. Or, the dross will turn a different color and spoil the appearance of the silversmith's creation. Dross will not due. The removal of imperfections start in the purifying process. Incomplete refining produces an inferior end product.

So it is in the hearts of man (the king in this case. Easily translated chief executive officer, governor, mayor, president, judge, etc.). Improper refining of the heart produces inferior men and women. They are not necessarily inferior on the basis of outward appearance, but a rottenness of soul. Some of the worlds most beautiful people are rotten at the core. Just look at some of the most popular movie stars or singers. I don't have to name them. You can come up with a list of your own. Some of the most successful have the foulest vocabulary, the most repugnant reputations. The old saying "beauty is only skin deep," though not scripture, is oh so true, non the less.

Or take a look at some of today's highest paid athletes. They sport freaky hair styles, and even more bizarre lifestyles. They fight on the court and party off of it. There is much dross there - if they were a silver ornament, we would certainly call them "ugly," "flawed," and even "worthless."

Righteousness comes from the purifying of the blood of Jesus. Only that cleansing action will produce results worthy of the Master Jeweler's craft. The interesting part is this: you have the choice as to how pure you will be. You can jump out of the refiner's fire any time you want. However, rest assured it is easier to go through it with God the first time around than to endure the refiner's fire a second, third, or fourth time. Amen and Amen.