David utilized the fire of the Lord's "eyes" to further open his own. Like every righteous soul before him, he desired to become 'spotless' and 'blameless' before God because coming into his presence with unresolved sin will be our hell (Alma 9:4). With this understanding, these were his kind of prayers:
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:4)
The Lord's eyes reveal precisely what we need to address to become pure, so in a very real way, we should want the Lord to inspect us. There are many other examples of this understanding in scripture. For instance, a rich young man also desired the Lord to try his heart:
And behold, one came and said, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? There is none good but one — that is, God. But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up. What lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If you will be perfect, go sell that you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven; and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 9:22)
Unfortunately, neither he nor David continued in the process of becoming spotless and blameless. Their examples show the necessity of enduring to the end. This doesn't take away from the reality of the process, though. There are others who finished the race.
Despite having had a vision of the Father and Jesus, Joseph Smith still needed to know how to reach greater purity. He wanted heaven to look upon him, and so God sent a messenger from his presence, the place where things are clearly seen:
In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections. When on the evening of the above mentioned twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me that I might know of my state and standing before him, for I had full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I had previously had one. While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in the room which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside [...] He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi, that God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. (Joseph Smith History 3:1-3).
The connection between Joseph's desire to know his standing before God and being told of the trials he would need to go through are related. At the time of his murder, he died of a conscience void of offense toward God and man. That's the goal.
The sanctification process is likened to a furnace or refiner's fire because it inevitably burns our pride (Teachings and Commandments 151:21). We can turn from the fire, like David and the rich young man, or enter in like Joseph and others (Exodus 12:14).
One note: From personal experience, the refiner's fire is always for our good though it may not seem like it at the moment. As we proceed, the fire, or light, becomes a part of us instead of something that repels us. Through the process, we become someone who acts instead of being acted upon. Eventually, it's something we live in:
That which is of God is light, and he that receives light and continues in God receives more light, and that light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (TC 36:4)
Because God is the one who guides us, he gets all the credit and glory. He is worthy to be trusted and praised.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of body and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creation that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 1:10).
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