"The Lord desires to form Himself in us. We now change the figure from paths with thorns and walls to that of the sculptor's marble block. Between the rough hewn block of marble and the finished statue were all the love and care of the artist, and the infinite patience of releasing from stone the vision of beauty which he saw before he began to work. Thus the Heavenly Father is at work in the life of everyone whom He has foreknown as believing in the Savior. There is a difference between ourselves and a block of marble, however, in that we have feelings and can shrink back from the strokes with which the divine Sculptor would cut away the marble so that the likeness of Christ may emerge in our lives."
"David tells us that before he was afflicted he went astray but after affliction he observed the Word of God (Psalms 119:67). Affliction was a factor in his growth, and so it is in the lives of many of God's children. We may face tribulations with joy, therefore, since we know that when we have gone through the trouble we shall be more like our Savior."
"Similar to the image of the sculptor, Isaiah says, "The Lord called me from the womb...He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me, he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away" (Isaiah 49:1,2). In the British Museum I saw a finely polished arrow-shaft, displayed beneath a magnifying glass. When observed from the side, its surface appeared as smooth as a billiard ball; but when seen through the glass, it revealed a thousand facets, cut so finely that the shaft appeared to be burnished."
"When Isaiah tells us that God turned him into such a shaft, he is saying that he underwent the cutting of the chisel. It was a process filled with pain, but when it was completed, Isaiah tells us, he was a polished shaft. What is more, the Lord made him a useful instrument, hidden under His hand, and, when such an instrument was needed, he was available. Here is the Christian's highest joy in this world, for the Lord never uses one of His children without communicating Himself to him both in suffering that makes him usable, and in the ordering of the service."
"This constructive suffering the Lord will continue to send into our hearts and lives until He has us ready to take home to Himself. Through Malachi he spoke of Himself as a refiner of silver, sitting through the process of cleansing His people (Malachi 3:3). In oriental bazaars the silversmiths sit with molten metal before them while the flame does its purifying work. From time to time the workman removes dross which rises to the surface and continues this process until he can see his own image, as in a mirror, reflected in the cleansed metal. Thus our Lord works upon those whom He has redeemed. We are worth far more than gold to His heart, and He is eager to see Himself in us. Thus, He who has begun a good work in us will keep on perfecting it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6)."
"In Peter's first epistle we find the summary of the teaching on constructive suffering. He speaks of the glory of our future salvation when all the work of the Lord in our behalf will be terminated, and we shall be forever in the land of joy with our Savior and our God. He speaks of our rejoicing in that hope, and continues, "Though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6,7). It is not pleasant to be put into the fire, but the result is the burning away of dross and the refining of the metal."
"It is certainly possible for the Christian to glory in tribulation that turns from wandering into by-paths and brings back into the way of God. It is also possible for the believer to glory in the tribulation that chips away the unimportant things in life, the secondary things, the dirty things, the alien things, and reveals the life of the Lord Jesus Christ within."
Barnhouse, Donald Grey. God's River Romans 5:1-11 Expositions of Bible Doctrines Epistles to the Romans.Philadelphia: The Evangelical Foundation, inc., 1959. 82-84
