refined

I have spent some time on my thought word from Monday:

re·fined (ri fīnd′) adjective

1. made free from other matter, or from impurities; purified
2. free from crudeness or coarseness; cultivated; elegant
3. characterized by great subtlety, precision, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.

re·fined (rĭ-fīndˈ) adjective

1. Free from coarseness or vulgarity; polite.
2. Free of impurities; purified.
3. Precise to a fine degree.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

I do not know if I can ever reach the perfection of "3. Precise to a fine degree."

But I am daily working on "2. free from crudeness or coarseness; cultivated; elegant"

Refinement in a person is an ongoing process.

I have heard it said that we are like a crude piece of coal and the pressures of everyday living help turn the coal into a beautiful shining diamond, if we will let them.

Life is full of daily disappointments and frustrations. It is how we let those experiences mingle in our lives that decides if we will be a curmudgeon in our old age. The bumps and bruises of life can help shine and sparkle the beautiful gem that we are, or make us scarred and deformed.

It is our choice to let life's experiences refine us to the perfection we were meant to be. We can't do anything about the rocks of life we stumble into, but we can choose how we will react as we fall.

Becoming a refined person is a lifelong pursuit. Daily choices with elegance and purity as a goal.