Praise: Worth Its Weight in Gold

Imagine melting your mom’s favorite gold pendant or your dad’s cherished high school class ring. While you are at it, why not also turn the family’s prized silverware set, handed down for generations, into boiling hot liquid!

Of course, this is unthinkable. But it does recall an ancient practice that has not changed much over time, despite advances in modern technology. That practice is the process of melting, refining and shaping precious metals—specifically gold and silver.

Proverbs 27:21 identifies two key parts in this procedure. Notice: “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.” Though not as mainstream today, someone from King Solomon’s time would immediately understand the reference to this ageless process. Solomon compares this activity to “a man” and “his praise.”

Offering sincere praise and encouragement to others has become uncommon. People seem less able, or willing, to compliment others. Even those who may want to encourage others often find it difficult. To them, it feels awkward to say something positive about someone else—therefore they rarely do it.

On the other side, some find it difficult to accept a compliment from others. When someone praises them, they either fly away with themselves, downplay the praise due to embarrassment, or become skeptical about why the person is being nice.

Grasping Solomon’s comparison to refining gold and silver can help lead to a better understanding of encouraging and complimenting others.

How It Works

A fining pot, also known as a crucible, is a thick, bowl-shaped container for heating and melting precious metals down to liquid form. The pot is usually made of ceramic or clay graphite material, which can sustain very high temperatures.

Consider. Gold melts at a scorching 1,945 degrees Fahrenheit. Silver melts just below this at 1,761 degrees. The fining pot can take as much as 2,800 degrees before it begins to dissolve. That is more than one quarter the temperature of the surface of the sun! Therefore, the metals inside will melt well before the crucible is in any danger of being damaged.

The fining pot is just one important component for melting precious metals. The other, as Solomon tells us, is a furnace.

The furnace is simply a contained space with a heat source. It is used to provide an environment hot enough to melt the gold or silver inside the crucible. The furnace can be as modest as a hole in the ground with a cover or something more elaborate such as an insulated metal container with an attached digital thermometer. Electricity, natural gas, or propane is typically used as a sustained heat source to bring the furnace to the desired temperature.

For the melting process, a crucible is filled with solid gold or silver. It is then placed inside the furnace, covered and exposed to heat.

As the temperature rises, the metal inside the fining pot eventually melts into liquid form, with the crucible remaining intact. Then, using special fire-resistant tongs and wearing thick gloves covering his hands and arms, a metalworker lifts the glowing, red-hot crucible from the furnace.

From there, he pours the liquid metal into a mold for shaping. The metal then cools, eventually hardening to its original consistency. This is how items such as gold and silver coins or jewelry have always been made, even thousands of years ago.

Why compare these specialized tools and processes to a man and praise?

Benefits of Praising Others

King Solomon’s comparison provides a wealth of lessons and understanding. Just three of them can alter your view of praising and encouraging others.

Human beings are made to give and receive praise. Melting and working with precious metals requires special tools—each with unique characteristics. For instance, you cannot use just any old bowl as a crucible. If a container’s melting point is too low, it will melt and empty its precious contents into the bottom of the furnace.

Also, a furnace without insulation or a lid allows too much heat to escape, making it difficult—if not impossible—for the precious metals to reach the high temperatures necessary to melt them. In addition, imagine reaching into a burning furnace without fire-resistant tongs or gloves—obviously something you would NOT want to do!

These special items are all necessary to do the job of metalworking properly. They were made for the task of refining precious metals. Similarly, mankind was made to give and to receive praise and encouragement.

People are not isolated beings stranded on a deserted island. We are all part of a greater society in which we interact with each other. Therefore, giving and receiving responses from those around us is a natural part of humanity. We were made to build relationships with our friends, family and others. When the reaction to our behavior is positive and someone expresses it to us verbally, it boosts our confidence. Others taking the time to give us compliments makes us feel special and causes us to repeat those actions.

Think about the last time someone gave you genuine praise for something you did. It almost certainly gave you a good feeling. You should want to give this feeling to someone else.

Scientific studies show that receiving a sincere compliment activates the same part of the brain as receiving money. Remember this the next time you “pay” someone a compliment.

Praise can bring out the best in a person. Besides turning precious metals into liquid to allow them to be poured into a mold, heating them also rids them of impurities. Natural gold straight from the ground can be as little as 65 percent pure. After being subjected to sufficient heat and the right chemicals, it becomes purified. Once treated, gold can be made as high as 99.9 percent pure.

As with the gold purification process, paying someone a compliment can bring out the best in that person. Praise has the power to separate unwanted behavior from that which is desired. The more plentiful the compliments regarding positive actions, the more the behavior will be reinforced.

A similar principle applies to a sports team having the homecourt advantage: The more that thousands of fans cheer the home team, the more motivated players are to perform well.

But this can happen on a smaller scale as well. At Ambassador Youth Camp, teenagers participate in numerous activities. These include volleyball, soccer, swimming, giving speeches, and much more.

Some campers may be doing these activities for the first time while others are not as good at them. In either case, a great way to help them improve is to give encouragement. No matter the activity, there is always something positive you can say—even if it is just the fact that they tried.

One of the best gifts you can give is to tell someone he or she did a great job—and it does not cost a thing. Praising others builds their confidence and helps purify them.

Praise can also test a person’s character. Heat not only removes impurities, it also tests a metal’s resiliency and strength. The old phrase “test your mettle”—which means to determine one’s strength of character—is loosely based on this process. Even the resiliency of the fining pot and furnace is tested during the heating process.

Receiving and giving praise must be handled responsibly and is a sign of a person’s character. Just because someone tells you that you did a wonderful job or you are good at a particular activity, for instance, is not a reason to brag about yourself or develop a “big head.” This is a form of selfishness. When receiving a compliment, it is important to remain humble and appreciative.

When encouraging others, be sure your motives are pure. If you are flattering them just to get something from them or to gain their approval, this is a selfish use of praise. A compliment should be a sincere way to show how you feel about their actions.

All compliments are not created equal. Merely telling someone they did a “good job” is acceptable, but there is an even better way to pass along your approval.

One approach to giving praise is known by the acronym CISS. According to this method, praise should be:

• Conditional: meaning it is based on conditions or behavior that have actually occurred. Otherwise it is flattery.
• Immediate: or soon after the behavior, while it is still on the mind of the person receiving it.
• Sincere: heartfelt and not fake or made-up.
• Specific: the words you use should detail specific actions.

Instead of telling someone, “You did great at softball,” under the CISS method, you could say: “You did great in today’s softball game. I liked the way you fielded so many of the ground balls that came your way.”

Being timely and specific with your words helps another person better appreciate what you noticed and admired about his performance. It seems less like empty words and the person receiving it is more likely to repeat the same behavior.

If you are on the receiving end of such a compliment, be sure to remain humble and graciously accept it. Avoid a boastful response such as, “I know I am good,” or a deflective response such as, “I just got lucky.” A simple “thank you” or, “Thanks, I have been working hard on improving,” will suffice.

AYC is soon approaching. There will be plenty of opportunities to give and receive compliments to and from your fellow campers. Remember the power of praising and encouraging others at camp and in other areas of your life.

Done the right way, praise can help others become as precious in character as gold and silver!