"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7

This is a strange concept: the trial of my faith is more precious than gold that has been refined. I tend to equate trials with pain or discomfort which in turn translates to my emotions as "bad!" But as a teacher I know that trials (or tests) are the proof of the learning and is a necessary tool to aid both the teacher and the student to discover the level of learning that has occurred. So it is the same on a spiritual level. I may dread the trials, even devise ways to escape them, but the wise Master teacher is preparing something precious for me. I cannot understand why or how that can be so, but then I'm not the master!

I think my faith is about to be tried again.

The result from the CEA test (tumor marker) taken on Wednesday came back today. It is a bit higher: 22.5 (up from 18.5) This is even with Malcom having had 2 chemo treatments since the last time it was tested. The doctor doesn't seem too worried about it. He says sometimes the cancer cells get "smart" and figure out how to resist the chemo.

So, what do I do with this information? I'm going to do just what I've determined to do all along. I'm going to trust the Lord, once again consciously put my husband in God's hands knowing that He is in control.