God’s goals for His children: to draw us to Himself, to conform us to the image of His Son, to help us yield to the Spirit, to humble us, to encourage us to lean on Him alone, to wean us from this wicked world, to lessen the appeal of sin, to stir within us a longing for heaven. ... Often the most effective means to accomplish these goals is to allow fiery trials into our lives. We cringe, but we can take great comfort in the fact that our Father knows at what temperature to set the thermostat. He aims to purify us, to strengthen our faith in Him. As with the three Hebrew children, the Lord is IN the fire with us and will see us THROUGH!