Polishing Silver

We have grown up using the family silver: silver water goblets, silver flatware, silver tea and coffee pitchers, silver platters, etc. This is the real stuff, the real deal, not silverplate. What we have learned over the years as we've learned to carry on the tradition of polishing these heirlooms and then enjoying them can apply to our own lives as well. So, as you polish your teapots, metaphorically and in reality, remember these points:

1. You can always polish REAL silver, no matter how tarnished. It might not look brand-new, but you can get it to shine.

2. Real silver sometimes needs to be buffed. During this slightly more abrasive process, the scratches can be buffed out, bringing real shine to older pieces. This can be a painful process if you yourself are the teapot/silver in question.

3. Real silver can be bent back into shape if need be. It won't be perfect, but you can make it work.

4. Real silver gets more tarnished from sitting on the shelf and being neglected than it does from daily wear and care.

5. As it ages and is used over and over again, real silver develops a rich luster that adds to its beauty. It becomes a treasure.

6. There is always an outside agent in the shining/buffing: the silver polish and/or the tool used. In our lives, this agent is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.