In the Potter's Hands

I am in awe of God's love for us. My mission trip to Nicaragua was over a month ago but God is still teaching me so much from the trip. When I was in Nicaragua we visited a potter's house, he was incredibly wise. The potter showed us/explained the process of creating a beautiful piece of pottery. 

First the clay is found in the darkest parts  of the Earth. To the normal eye this clay is nothing special but the Potter sees its potential. 

He picks out the impurities so it can be prepped for molding.   

Once the clay is ready to be molded the Potter rolls it into a ball and sets it on the wheel then he begins. 

The Potter told us as he molds the clay he can feel the impurities that are left in the clay... and they hurt his hands.

If there are any impurities left in the clay he cannot mold it in to his masterpiece.

So he will pick out the impurities and start all over again.

Once he has molded the clay the Potter checks it for impurities and picks them out.

And fills the wholes that they left behind.

Once the pottery is ready the Potter beings the last step before the fire, he paint the clay

Once the pottery has been placed in the fire it can't be changed.

And if that clay still had impurities it will show. There is no taking it back, the potter no longer has use of it.

As great as all of the previous information none of it changed my life like this next part did.

 The potter grabbed a piece of work that he had  molded, destroyed, remolded, picked, filled, and painted and dropped it on the floor. The moment the fragile piece of clay hit the floor it shattered. The whole group sat in total silence. We didn't understand why a potter would let his work of art fall a break. Before we could lose hope the potter told us clay can be molded, destroyed, remolded, picked, filled, and painted but if it has not faced the fire the potter can still use it.

The potter then picked up broken piece of painted clay and told us that he could take the clay and start the process all over again. It can be made new. 

I don't know about you, but I am a piece of clay that has been molded, destroyed, remolded, picked, filled, painted and broken. If you are feeling discouraged, if you think that the Lord cannot use you I am here to tell you that you are terribly wrong. The world may see a broken piece of clay but God sees your potential.

Something to remember:
Saul caused many followers of Christ to die, and at what some people would call a low point God changed his life and molded him into something totally new. Don't forget that Paul faced many trails in life after that, but God gave him the strength and many lives were changed because of the many times Paul was "remolded".

With love,

Noelia