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In the 1968 Olympics, Dick Fosbury took a new approach to the high jump. He developed a new way of jumping over the high bar. While all the other high jumpers were stubborn to do it the old fashioned way, Fosbury developed a technique where he went over headfirst with his back to the bar. While all the other high jumpers were stubborn to do it the old fashioned way, Fosbury developed a technique where he went over headfirst with his back to the bar. It was dubbed the Fosbury Flop. Developing a high jump technique was one thing. Getting it accepted by others was another matter. Fosbury remarked, “I was told over and over again that I would never be successful, that I was not going to be competitive with this technique and it was implied that it was not going to work. Fosbury used the new style and walked away from the Olympics with a gold medal. Not only did he win the gold, but he shattered the world record. For Fosbury, Going for the Gold meant Is 64:8 Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.

Sometimes, God asks us to vary our style. Sometimes the Master Blacksmith needs to bend us here and there, and change us in this way or in that way. But in the end, it will bring us the victory we need.

Do you feel like God is refining you? Maybe God is doing exactly that. Maybe God wants your attention. After the heat is turned on and the impurities rise, then and only then, is The Master Blacksmith able to make us into a beautiful work of art.