A Tested String

A talented violinist was scheduled to play before a very critical audience. Although she had a fine instrument, she was not satisfied with the quality of its sound. So she said to her father, "This violin must yield its full resonance and vibration of tone. I'm going out to buy some tested strings."

When asked what tested strings were, she replied, "First, they're put on a rack and stretched and strained to take all the vacillation out of them. Then they are hammered and put through an acid test. This is what enables them to produce a perfect and full tone." When she attached the tested strings and tuned the instrument, the music was noticeably more warm and rich than before.

If our lives are going to produce beautiful music for the Lord, testing is imperative. Just as a tested string gives the highest quality of sound, so Christians who accept their trials and learn to profit from them are able to bring the greatest glory to the Master Musician.*

Will your trials make you bitter or better?

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)