Refining

See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10

The process of producing forged steel is quite interesting:
The raw iron ore is mined, after which it's taken the the mill where it is crushed, put into a furnace at extremely high temperatures, and after the impurities are burned away, the material is shaped under high pressure, and then the steel is beaten on...the result is extremely strong tempered (forged) steel.
I have found this analogy quite apt for certain stages of our lives in Christ. We do not escape the fire, rather, we can be sure that it is coming, and perhaps even now has come as we endure various trials.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness"
Malachi 3:2, 3

What should be our response as we are going through the fire?
Anxiety to the point of ulcers, hypertensions, depression or other illnesses?
Should we hang our heads down, or wonder why it is that we are experiencing these various hardships and trials?
Do we think that we are alone, that our brothers and sisters are not going through similar things?

This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”
Zechariah 13:9

No, my brothers and sisters, we are being tried and will continue to have various trials, until He either comes for us, or we go to Him. The Word tells us this very thing.
I write this as I'm going through the furnace myself, but am confident of this very thing:
We will endure and triumph as we focus on Jesus, endured terrible trials for our sakes, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Beloved, look up, lift up the Light of your countenance, forget what lies behind...its going to be worth it all.