If Virginia could have chosen to accept or discard all the changes that
came her way, she gladly would have let most of them pass right by herself and her
family. She loves her lifeliving on the farm with her beloved Jonathan and their children,
not far from her parents and her grandparents. But a change that is tearing at her heart
is the gradual but steady physical decline in Grandma Marty and Grandpa Clark. She
cannot imagine their familiar farm home without their welcoming smiles and their words
of wisdom that arise from decades of life experiences and a solid faith in God.

Their lovely daughter Mindy, who has blessed their home ever since her mother left the
tiny child with them, has been encouraged and guided to pray for that mother all these
years. Is God answering that prayer, or is the worst nightmare any family could face now
upon them?

Virginia is not sure she has the strength or fortitude to truly becomelike gold refined.


Marguerite Gavin grew up on the Chesapeake Bay. She holds an M.F.A. in acting and a B.F.A. in theater. An actress working in theater and audiobook narration, she is also artistic director of a youth theater program. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and son.