The mission of Re•fined is to encourage, equip, and empower girls with the knowledge of their true identity in Christ. But what’s the story behind our ministry? The roots of Re•fined stretch back to 2019, when our founder, Mikaela Campbell Allbritten – or “Mak” as we call her – experienced a life-changing move of God. Mak says: “for 10 years I had struggled with several things, including depression, shame, lack of self-worth - the list just goes on and on. But in 2019, Jesus did an awesome work in my life, and I’ve not been the same since. He truly gave me beauty for ashes, joy for sadness, a hope, and a future! Once I began to see myself the way He sees me, everything changed. My life became better than I ever remember it being before!” Once she surrendered to God and allowed Him to transform her life, Mak knew she had to share the hope, grace, and redemption she experienced with others, especially young ladies. Passionate about the mission God gave her, but a little impatient, she opened The Re•Fined Boutique in 2020. Mak’s vision was for the boutique to be more than just a place to shop, and it did allow her to share her testimony with others, but she knew there had to be more. So, in July 2023, three years to the day of the boutique’s opening, Re•fined Girls was born! Sometimes moving in a new direction can feel uncomfortable or even intimidating, but we know God ordained Re•fined’s path from the beginning. Does this mean creating the original boutique was goof up? Nope, not at all! That season was God’s set up for our “step up”. As Mak says: “while having a boutique was fun, I’m believing for much greater things with Refined Girls. I fully believe the boutique was not a mistake but was a needful step to prepare us for this moment. Remember, nothing is ever wasted because He works it ALL for our good!” You might be wondering, what’s the significance of the name “refined”? Understanding why we chose our name requires a quick lesson on an ancient Japanese pottery repair and metal working technique called “kintsugi”. Yes, you read that correctly. Stay with us here. We promise this is going somewhere! Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese art form where broken pottery is repaired with pure gold. Rather than hiding or camouflaging the breaks and cracks, Kintsugi’s purpose is to actually emphasize the item’s “imperfections”. The result is a piece that is more beautiful because of its flaws than it was in its original, unbroken state. How incredible is that?! It’s reminiscent of the process we undergo when we give our mess - our broken pieces - to Jesus, and He “repairs” us with His love, grace, and mercy. To take the analogy a step further, Jesus doesn’t just mend us, He also refines us like gold! What does that mean? Well, in its natural state, gold is full of impurities - much like us in our fallen condition. To be made useful (for example, to be used in Kintsugi), gold must be refined. Traditionally, this process uses fire to burn away the “dross” (a fancy word for impurities). The result is pure, solid gold. Similarly, God often brings us through the flames of adversity to remove unwanted or unnecessary things in our lives. He refines us through the fire and crafts us into something even more beautiful than we could ever imagine for ourselves. So, are you ready for God to turn the broken areas of YOUR life into something beautiful? If so, you’ve come to the right place… now is your time to be re•fined!