Proverbs 25: 4-5 Dross in Silver

⁴ Remove the dross from the silver,
    and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
⁵ remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
    and his throne will be established through righteousness. 

This two-verse passage is almost a synopsis of a couple of other concepts that we have previously studied . . .

We have looked before at the work of a silversmith --- he doesn't take his eyes off the silver as he refines it, as he heats it up to remove the dross, or impurities. He regulates the heat, for a small variance in temperature can mar the finished product.

He knows that his work is done when he can see his own reflection in the silver.

So it is when our Father is performing the work of "sanctification" in our lives. That's just a big term for an ongoing process: growing in grace, and becoming more like Christ. It's a process that starts when we accept the gift of salvation, and should not end until we are "absent from the body" and "present with the Lord."  

He doesn't take His eyes off of us; he regulates the "heat" and doesn't give us more than we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13).  And we hope that He will see His own reflection in us.

So the second verse is important, since it has to do with removing the "dross" or negative influences that would keep us from becoming more like Him. Young or old, we would do well to heed Solomon's words in Proverbs 1:10-16:

¹⁰ My son, if sinful men entice you,
    do not give in to them.....

my son, do not go along with them,
    do not set foot on their paths;
¹⁶ for their feet rush into evil,
    they are swift to shed blood.

And Paul's words (I Corinthians 15:33) are good advice, too:

³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 

Recently I have seen an instance where a young person mistakenly believed that he was strong enough to run with a crowd that was not going to be a good influence on him. He thought that he could be a testimony to them; he didn't realize the strength and commitment that it would take to handle a dangerous situation like that. His life has been changed now, in ways he never would have imagined.  God will forgive and heal, but it will take much time.
Perhaps we need to think on this: Who and what is influencing us these days?