Beauty for Ashes

If you think about it, there is nothing beautiful about ashes.  There is nothing appealing in their composition.  They are dirty, and they have a way of infiltrating every single thing they are near with little hope for their full removal.

Long ago, I wrote about the story of a goldsmith who described the method through which gold is refined.  It must be placed in the most severe fire to burn away every impurity and imperfection.  Taken out too soon, the process remains incomplete, and it is rendered useless.  Left in the fire too long, the gold is no longer of much value because it has been burned.

This can be likened to times when we face trials in our life.  We must hold fast to the hope that there is a reason we are being put in the fire, and that when we are on the other side, we will be like pure gold.  At times, it is excruciating to be in the fire, but we can rest in knowing there is a goldsmith fixated on rescuing us from the fire at the exact moment necessary.

Even still, what about the ashes?  There remains the imperfection and impurities from the fires of our refinement.   Hang on, and they can be exchanged for something beautiful– gladness for mourning, strength for fear, and peace for despair.  Often the ashes can be used in new ways, infiltrating every single thing they are around just the same.  But this time, marking their presence by utilizing the trials we face to be better, stronger, and more helpful to those with whom we come into contact.  And THAT, friends, is a beautiful thing…