“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth . . .” (I Peter 1:7).

Precious—“Of great price, costly, valuable, very dear, highly esteemed, expensive.” People and temporal things are said to be precious to us; yet, how much more precious to us should things of a spiritual nature be. Peter loved to use this word in his epistles. Note Peter’s precious treasures: Precious trials: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth” (I Peter 1:7). Precious blood: “Redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19). Precious corner stone: “To whom coming, as unto a living stone . . . chosen of God, and precious . . . a chief corner stone, elect, precious” (I Peter 2:4,6). Precious Lord: “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” (I Peter 2:7). Precious faith: “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 2:7). Precious promises: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:4). Precious death: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).

This last verse is not from Peter, but should be included in our list of precious things, serving, as it does, as the final evaluation of the things of this life. It is a precious, comforting thought to know that “to be absent from the body (is) to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). NPS