Dredging the River

When we lived out in Washington state we were told that in the past the Nooksack River was dredged so that it would hold more water and not keep overflowing it's banks.
Spurgeon used this picture as a wonderful metaphor for suffering:

 "He is digging you out; you are like an old ditch, you cannot hold anymore, and God is digging you out to make more room for more grace....The spade will cut sharply, and dig up sod after sod, and throw it on one side.  the very thing you would like to keep shall be cast away."