Where and what is Purgatory?

Purgatory is an idea rather than a place. In the Catholic tradition, purgatory is the state a person exists in while they are being prepared (purified or cleansed) for heaven. Protestants don't typically believe in this idea, but I find it deeply compelling.

Sin is that which bends away from God. We can get pretty bent out of shape over a lifetime. Sometimes we do the bending, sometimes we are bent by the forces around us. God-followers work to turn back to God, to unbend, but how often is it that a person dies with their lives "all straightened out"? Just because we die, does that mean God is finished with us?

I have hope that God's purpose in me will continue after my death. I am grateful to have a lifetime in which to grow straight and tall in God, but I have no illusions that I will be ready to face God in all his glory the instant I breathe my last. Like everyone else, I will rely on God to help me be ready for heaven in the next life, just as I have relied on God to help me be a part of heaven in this life.