are like burnished bronze (2:18). A God who is able to see with such purifying focus and who stands on an unwavering platform calls this church to a level of faithfulness that is presently missing. The accumulation of their deeds—love and faith, service and perseverance (2:19)—is acknowledged to have progressed for the better. But God is not happy with mere progress, particularly when that progress is mixed with problems. This particular judgment keeps the church from falling into any possibility