Dokimion

When rendered into English from the original Greek, we often find the New Testament's depth of meaning lost in the translation. Consider the following example from James Chapter 1:

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.

In this passage, we find the Greek word "dokimion" translated into the English word "testing". In English, to test means to put to test or prove, very similar to try out. Mentally, we think of an image similar to trying out for a sport squad such as a football team.

The Greek word "dokimion" though, is more closely associated with the concept of assaying or testing metals to determine purity. During this procees, metals are heated to extreme temperatures until molten to allow the impurities to rise to the surface. These impurities can then be scraped from the top, and the metal allowed to cool, resulting in a more pure version of the original.

As many can attest, God often allows this process to take place in our lives. Life's trials often enflame us to the point where the impurities rise to the surface, allowing God to remove them. This causes us to develop greater perserverance so that we may become "mature and complete, not lacking anything", or in other words, whole or holy! God uses this testing of our faith to build character in our lives, allowing us to become more like, and also closer, to Him.