I Peter 1:6-9: Pain That Leads to Joy

The pot of clay must first be burned,
To harden it for use.
The ore with gold must pass through flame,
To burn the dross refuse.

A fruitful tree must first be pruned,
A rose bush must be trimmed,
The grape is squashed to make sweet wine,
Thus suffering will cleanse.

Now, therefore, leap for joy and sing,
For we will suffer, too!
With trials, certain, needful though,
To burn the dross from you.

You’ll see injustice and divorce,
And church-splits no one mends.
Be slighted, tempted, fall, condemned,
And know the death of friends.

Your faith, by this, will be refined,
Through fire, flood, and gale,
This leads to praise and glorious life,
When Christ will be unveiled.

Yet Jesus Christ you have not seen,
But trusting what you heard,
In faith you listened and took heed,
To us who preached God’s Word.

So our hearts swell and burst with joy,
Sublime! Ineffable!
These sorrows lead us to our goal:
Salvation of our souls!