A group was studying the Book of Malachi, chapter three, and came across verse three, which says:
“He (G-d) will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

The study group members wondered how this statement applied to G-d, so one woman made an appointment with a silversmith to watch him at work. She didn't mention any reason, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

Holding a piece of silver over the fire, the silversmith explained that the silver must be held in the middle where the flame is the hottest to burn away the impurities.

The woman thought about G-d holding each of us in a hot spot. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.

The man answered yes. He had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. The silver would be destroyed if left even a moment too long in the flame.

The woman asked the silversmith, “But how do you know when the silver is refined?"

He smiled and answered, “That’s easy — when I see my image in it.”