shaping
Then I will purify them
and put them to the test,
just as gold and silver
are purified and tested. ~ Zechariah 13:9a (CEV)
But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope. ~ Romans 5:3b-4 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Difficulties can be a part of the process of shaping our character.
PRAYER:
Lord, I really struggle with the idea that hard times are good for me. I'm tempted to shut down when there is trouble. Help me to embrace the challenges and receive them as tools for shaping my character. I'm looking forward to becoming more godly. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
