Proverbs 17:3
As tried in a furnace silver and gold; so choice hearts by the Lord.
When I was in college we would occasionally be given quizzes to test our knowledge over material we recently covered in class. But the bigger and more important test came at the end of the semester when we had to take the final exam. The “final” was designed to test whether or not we had a deep understanding of the material covered during the entire semester. No matter how well we did on quizzes during the semester, if we failed the final, we failed the class.
The Lord, the One Who is sovereign over all things, tests the hearts of His chosen ones. Your heart refers to the real you, the “deep you”…your mind, character, will, emotions, and inclinations…the you that is sometimes hidden from others, that contain thoughts and feelings that no one knows about except yourself…and Him.
And just like the furnace helped separate the impurities from the precious metals in the ore, the Lord tests the deep you to reveal and separate those things that contrary to His will, nature, and specific purpose for your life…so that the “precious you” whom He chose to save, can be revealed as an object of His glory.
If you are a child of God, and are currently going through trials and difficulties, understand that He is testing the deep you. Choose to respond in a more godly way to your situations and to others. You will never “fail the class” in fellowship with Him.