“Wisdom is knowledge tempered with judgment.” – Peter Ritchie Calder, Scottish writer

“The works must be conceived with fire in the soul but executed with clinical coolness.” – Joan Miro, Spanish painter

Tempering is a firing process that modifies the qualities in metal, using the addition of other metals and a process of heating and cooling. It is used to bring about the right degree of firmness, to toughen the material and make it more durable.

Our lives are a tempering process and God is the metallurgist, adding to our experiences and our acquaintance those who will help us to become firmer in our faith, tougher in our determination, and able to endure. You have seen blacksmiths work with heat and then quenching water to cool and then fire again.

May we become wise in ways that we could not achieve on our own as we trust that the challenges, the experiences, and the everyday events of our life are all part of the tempering process of a loving God.

Romans 5:3-5, The Message (MSG): "There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!“