Gratitude for the Refiner's Fire

So, as I'm sitting here trying to decide what I want to post about, I was flipping through my study journal and one of my many doodles stuck out to me and I felt I should share.

Its a doodle of what I visualize the Refiner's Fire looking like. 

(Yeah, you could say I was a little bored when I drew it but its an important principle!)

As it shows in my doodle :) choosing the right is hard.  It is hard work! There are a lot of flames that come with trials. I know what it feels like to give up. I've been down that black hole and I can promise you that the Refiner's Fire is HOT and very VERY hard to endure, but it is nowhere near the pain and torment that is waiting in that black hole. I am so grateful that my Savior sacrificed Himself for me so that I can use that ladder of Repentance and I can return to live with my Father in Heaven.

I encourage all who see this to truly reflect on the times in your lives that you have faced difficult trials that have been a blessing to you, and to take a moment and to truly thank our Heavenly Father for them.

I want to bear my testimony and express my gratitude for the times that I have had to endure the Refiner's Fire in my life. I know that life is hard, we were sent here to be tested. I know that I will be blessed for enduring my trials and I am so grateful for the lessons that I learn from them! I wouldn't be where I am today without my trials through the Refiner's Fire.  

Love, Sister Petersen