Spiritual gifts

I'm fascinated with tests that help you learn about yourself, one of which is the spiritual gifts test. This is one of those tests where the results change over time, which has made me question if we gain and lose them due our faithfulness, or for the job God has for us at the moment. I'm sure it's a combination of both, but recently I had another thought. Maybe we are the gift. Maybe we are not empty vessels that God fills and empties as He moves from one job to the next, but maybe God has placed something in us that God needs to us to spread. If this is the case then maybe He uses spiritual gifts to give us influence in each environment so others will be accepting of the real gift that God is sending them for a time.