The Potter And The Clay

One of my fondest childhood memories during a visit to grandma's taught me a valuable life lesson when I made pottery for the first time.

There was this little store on the hill that was full of mostly unfinished clay pieces and very detailed handmade doll houses. The lady saw me come in and browse every day and sometimes twice a day just to pass the time in a little house on the prairie type of town. One day when I entered the store she told me to pick out anything I liked. I saw an unfinished statue of a cat. She told me I could have the finished one that she soon brought out. Then she took me in the back and explained to me how it was made. Then she took a small piece of clay and guided me in making a small bowl. I found it amazing that there were stripes of different colors bound inside the solid color of clay she had chosen. Before long I had made a nice bowl that was ready to go into the kiln for the firing process. I was told to come back tomorrow. I came back the next day and saw my masterpiece! I was astonished that my lil hands could create something so beautiful such as a lasting piece of art that I would treasure. 

The next step was the glaze and I remember thinking how much more beautiful my piece has become when I thought it to be beautiful before the glaze process.

This experience taught me a great deal about life and how we are the clay and He is the potter.

It taught me about the stages of life we must all go through.

It taught me that there are things in us that only the potter sees and can bring out when we allow Him to mold and shape us to His desires.

It showed me that we all go through the fires of life only to be defined and refined into the finished product that one day He, our creator will take home and forever treasure.