He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. — John 15:2

Every branch that bears fruit He prunes. Not the fruitless branches—those get cut off. The fruit-bearing ones get pruned so they bear more. The Lord as a refiner's fire and a purifier's soap, sitting as a refiner to purify the sons of Levi. Tribulation produces perseverance, character, and hope.