Improve By Making Small Changes

As I was reading about the Lord refining us, I decided to look up the definitions for the word refine. There are two main definitions. The first is "to remove impurities or unwanted elements from." This is typically what we think of when we read about refining in the scriptures. This is the refiner's fire, the desert of affliction, the trial of faith. In the midst of adversity, all of the dross burns away, the slag melts off, the dirt and the grime wash away. But the second definition is different. "Improve something by making small changes." The first definition is the same process that we refine metal, or oil or sugar. The second definition is more of an example of how we might refine an idea, or a plan, or a program. We can be refined through small, incremental changes. We don't have to wait for some big, scary life event (though they will come sooner and more often than we would like or hope) for the refining process to begin. We can improve by making small changes each and every day. This manner of refinement over time may achieve even greater results than the refining fire of some great tragedy in our lives. Lastly, I want to take a second to look at the roots of the word: re-fine. Re- means again, and fine, of course, means excellent or of good quality. Each of us is a child of God with a precious soul radiant with the light of Christ. In a million small and large ways the fallen world we live in leaves its mark on us and puts a little more dirt and tarnish on our once gleaming souls. When we are refined, we are restored once more to a state of excellence of the highest quality. Whether we are making small daily improvements or whether our trials require us to painfully remove impurities much more thoroughly and quickly than we would like, this refining process is helping us to become what we were always meant to be: divine beings filled with the light and love of our Father in Heaven.