The Potter and the Clay

Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
 
Isaiah 45:9 says, “…Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ …”
 
Jeremiah 18:6 says, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." 
 
A couple that was shopping in an antique shop, when they saw this beautiful little teacup that was so unique, and they just said, "Well, we've just got to have this little teacup. It's so special and unique." And as they were getting ready to grab the teacup, the teacup spoke out and said, "Hey."
 
They were a little shocked, and they started listening to this teacup talk. The teacup said, "I haven't always been this valuable. I haven't always been this precious." It said, "I remember when I was a lump of clay, and the potter began to mold me and squeeze me and push me and develop me. And I thought, this is uncomfortable, this hurts. I don't like this. You need to stop doing this." The potter said, "Not yet."
 
Since the teacup was formed, it thought, "Well, okay, now it's over," but no. Then the potter put it in the oven and turned up the heat. The teacup was screaming from the inside, saying, "This is hot! This hurts. I don't like this! Get me out of here!” And the potter looked in and said, "Not yet."
 
So, finally, the potter took the teacup and set it on a shelf to cool. The teacup thought, "Okay, finally it's over." But then the potter took some glaze and some brushes and began to paint it with this mixture that was suffocating. The teacup told the couple, “I couldn't breathe, and I didn't like it. It was sticky, and I said, ‘Stop it!’ And the potter told me, ‘Not yet.’ Then he put me in another oven twice as hot as the first oven, and I thought, ‘I'm exhausted. I can't handle any more heat.’”
 
Finally, the potter took the teacup, set it on the shelf, and said, “Now it is finished." The teacup told the couple, "What I thought was hurting me was, in the long run, making me valuable.” This teacup had become so precious and unique that a couple wanted to buy it. [1]
 
1 Peter 1:7 says, “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
 
Peter helps us understand the trials of our faith. The trials and tests that come our way are not random or purposeless, but similar to a furnace, heating and refining us like gold. When gold is heated, the impurities are brought to the surface and scraped off until the refiner can see his reflection in the gold. Similarly, God allows us to go through intense times to refine us and mold us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our purpose in life is not just to endure these trials, but to use them as opportunities to become more like Jesus every day. This is what Paul meant in Romans 8:29 when he said that God predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son.
 
"Father, today I yield to You as the Potter. I am the clay. I believe You are working on me, removing impurities from my life. I ask You to help me keep this perspective when I don’t understand why the heat has been turned up in my life. I trust You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”


[1] From various sources, one of which is http://positivetheresa.blogspot.com/2011/01/just-old-lump-of-clay.html