"We praise and thank you for sometimes putting us into the furnace to refine our gold and remove our dross."
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
Gold to be refined from less noble metals by oxidizing the other metals and then separating them from the molten gold as a dross.
Definition of dross:
--from 1928 Webster's (you gotta love the English language, and not just b/c it is the only one i know!)
DROSS, n. [G.]
1. The recrement or despumation of metals; the scum or extraneous matter of metals, thrown off in the process of melting.
2. Rust; crust of metals; an incrustation formed on metals by oxydation.
3. Waste matter; refuse; any worthless matter separated from the better part; impure matter.
The worlds glory is but dross unclean.
During our weekly Thursday AM walk-through of Sunday's worship service Frank Matthews asked, "How many people know what dross is?"
SO, we thought we'd try to help our people enter into the richness and hope of this great refining work of God.
