Regarding the Livites, who were the worship leaders of ancient Israel, the prophet Malachi said God would "sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Mal 3:3). Considering that a refiner does his work by subjecting the silver to fire, it doesn't sound good for the object of His refining process.
That is, however, until we understand the purpose of a refiner's fire. It is not to destroy or even harm the silver, it is to remove all the dross and impurities, leaving the silver free from those things which take away from its value. The refiner's fire gives birth to the real worth of the silver, allowing it to become a shining treasure.
Another very interesting and important fact of the refining process is how the ancient refiner knew the silver was finally pure: He could see his reflection in the finished product.
Not coincedentally, that is the work of a disciple, to reflect the life of the Master. God knows and others see that we are truly disciples of Jesus when we reflect his life in ours. And, not unlike the Levites of old, we will go through a refuner's fire in the process (cf. 1 Peter 1:6-9), not to harm us or because we are worthless, but because our true value is hiddened beneath the dross and impurity of sin.
Jus' Sayn.
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