Proverbs 27:18-22

Proverbs 27:18-22English Standard Version
​18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
    and he who guards his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face,
    so the heart of man reflects the man.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
    and never satisfied are the eyes of man.
21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
    and a man is tested by his praise.
22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
    along with crushed grain,
    yet his folly will not depart from him.

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There is a biblical principle there that the servant should be blessed by the fruits of his labors.  The one who tends to the fig tree should be allowed to eat from it, and that the master should care for an honor a hard-working servant.

Solomon says that what we see on the outside is simply a reflection of what's in the heart, like when we see a reflection of our faces in still water.  James picks up on this idea in his epistle and tells us how we don't simply have an issue with our words and our actions, but with our hearts which is the source of all kinds of evil that manifests itself as evil thoughts, words, and actions.

Sheol, the temporary places of the dead for those that await final judgment that we would call Hades or Hell, and Abaddon, the permanent place of punishment that we would call The Lake of Fire (often incorrectly called Hell) are never satisfied.  They constantly lust after more souls that they can devour and the people there continue in their lusts and desires to sin and rebel against the LORD and His Christ.  The appetites of sinful men are never appeased by committing sin.  They will continue to devise ways to be more sinful, more evil, more rebellious.

Silver is tested by fire in a crucible so that the dross can be burnt off and what other impurities remain float to the top so they can be scraped off.  Similarly, gold is placed in a hot oven so that its impurities can be burnt away.  However, the heart of a man is tested when he receives praise.  Will he be proud and accept worship that he doesn't deserve, or will he be humble and direct the glory and worship to God that only He deserves?  Be careful in your humility to not have false humility like the Pharisees which does not please God.  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

The LORD may try to use the "school of hard knocks" to teach the fool a lesson, but he will not learn it.  it will seem like he is being ground to powder by a mortar and pestle or like grain being ground to flour by a millstone.  However, he will not learn to change his behavior. That is part of what makes him a fool.  He does not understand the kindness of the LORD's discipline that calls him to repentance, and he keeps going back to the same things that got him in trouble time after time after time.