SILVERFORK: receiving and reflecting the morning sunlight

photo taken of the peak of mountain up Silver Fork Canyon on September 3, 2011

"And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi,

and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."

Malachi 3:3

The above photo is taken of a mountain peak up SILVER FORK canyon. The early morning hours in nature is as peaceful as it gets. One who wakes up before the sun rises can experience the darkness turn to light. The sun always hits the mountain peaks first before it eventually shines in the valley. Eventually all will see the light, but not necessarily at the same time.

Silver is a metal that is known for being highly reflective. It has been uses in mirrors and on projector screens (thus the term "silver screen") It reflects clear and actual images.

Many of you have probably heard this story about the silver smith and purifying silver. Here it is:

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi.  As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three which says, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”  He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s the easy part — when I see my image reflected in it.”