The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts.

—Proverbs 17:3

The parallels in this proverb are very interesting:

1. The refining pot is matched with the Lord, so we see that in the same way precious metals are purified by the refining pot, the Lord purifies people’s hearts.

2. The silver/gold is matched with people’s hearts.  It reminds us that while people place high values on silver and gold, God places a high value on people’s hearts.

Lovely and insightful imagery.