“The same fire that melts a wax candle hardens clay” How will you let your trials shape you?
To properly make a piece of pottery you first start with raw clay that you cut from the block and literally have to full force throw it on the table again and again to get all the air bubbles out so it doesn’t burst in the kiln because of an air pocket exploding in the heat.
Then you wet the wheel and have to “throw” it (that’s actually the technical term) onto the wheel and apply pressure from your knees on each side of the wheel, through your torso, core and shoulders all focused into your hands to apply enough pressure to stabilize the unruly shape into a circular one you can then apply more pressure to to shape into something beautiful (hopefully).
Sometimes you’ve applied too little or too much water to the wheel before throwing and it’ll not be centered well enough and slip off or not be able to stabilize properly and you have to start all over. But eventually you get there. And then you wait 48-72 hours for the clay to dry and then it goes into the kiln, 1,000 – 1,600 degrees of heat. But then you get to apply paint and into the kiln it goes once more. But after all that, you have something that has been through so much be something beautiful that will last for decades…or a lifetime.
Imagine what God is doing with us. We may not understand, question, dislike the processes, but each ounce of pressure, going through thousands of degrees of heat is Him drawing us closer, sanctifying, transforming us into something beautiful….if we surrender not only to the process to Him, and to His plan, and let Him do so.
Jeremiah 18:1-4, 6 ESV
”The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.“