Refined in the Grit

I recently shared with our staff a word that has been coming to my mind often lately to describe us at St. Paul’s: gritty. I’ve spent some time reflecting on what that really means and how it relates to our work. When you describe a person or an organization as “gritty,” you’re talking about toughness and determination, especially in the face of challenges.

Gritty people don’t give up easily. They push through discomfort, setbacks, and failure. They have resilience and mental toughness, and they are willing to do the hard, often unglamorous work to reach a goal.

Gritty organizations are much the same. They are scrappy and persistent, even when resources are limited. They stay focused under pressure, adapt, push forward, and face obstacles head on.

I love this word. It isn’t polished or effortless. It reflects strength that is built through perseverance. And as I have reflected on this school year, I have realized that what we often experience as grit is also where God is doing some of His most refining work.

I am so proud of the grittiness of my colleagues, and deeply thankful for the ways God continues to bless our ministry in and through the challenges we encounter. Maybe you feel the same.

Working in Lutheran schools is gritty work, whether we have an abundance of resources or very few, a large staff or a small one. The challenges may look different, but the call is the same: to go and make disciples. In the daily work of sharing Jesus and forming hearts and minds in Him, we show up, we persevere, and we remain faithful to our shared mission.

And perhaps this is where what we call grit begins to reveal something deeper about God’s refining work in us.

In Scripture, God describes His work in us as refinement:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” Malachi 3:3

When silver is refined, it is placed in intense heat. The fire doesn’t destroy it. It reveals and removes impurities, leaving what is purer and stronger.

In many ways, what we experience as grit is what God uses as refining fire.

The long days. The hard conversations. The really tough decisions. The moments of wondering if any of it is making a difference.

That is where grit is formed and where God is at work.

Grit is the willingness to stay in the process. It is showing up when it is hard, staying faithful when it is unseen, and trusting that God is present in it all, not only working through us but shaping us. Because God does not just use us in our classrooms, offices, fields, or gyms. He is refining us there.

Every challenge becomes part of His gracious work, forming in us something that comfort never could.

And here is the promise: the Refiner does not abandon the fire. He remains present, attentive, and purposeful in it.

So when the work feels gritty, it is not a sign that something is going wrong. It may be a sign that God is doing something deeply right.

Ashley Klitzing, St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Orange, CA