From Clay to Creation

I started as dirt bound to earth, unaware of my lowliness–
I yearned for more but complacency was comfortable.
My beauty stayed hidden, stuck in the safety of loneliness,
Until hands surrounded soil desiring to save my soul.

I look down– the sediment clings to my hands,
Wet and temperamental, it resists me. Cold and coarse. 
With a tender touch, I shape it to malleable clay,
Pressing into potential, I develop its beauty.

I look up– the Potter’s hands are steady and unyielding.
Under the pressure, I’m stretched and thrown. Cracks threaten.
I feel a quiet ache with every twist. Doubt seeps in–
Is my brokenness beyond repair? I’m exposed, fragile.

My clay is sensitive and delicate; it screams with strain.
I must let it rest, yet beside it I will remain– steadfast,
Attentive to its needs. I watch it with fatherly care,
Unrushed, my plan unfolds with patience and grace.

I’m spun until I no longer recognize myself, reluctant to yield
To the pressure of change. Fighting my Potter, I collapse.
I tremble at the thought of being left where I brought myself. 
Still, He remains with me. Gently, I am centered again.

I am the Potter; I know what the clay cannot see—
That the molding and refining gives birth to beauty.
I trim my design; joy overflows as I gaze at its growth.
Glazing to bring shine, my form nears completion.

As the blaze comes, I fear I will not hold. 
Did my Potter leave me to face this fire alone?
The heat wraps around me, stripping all that’s weak. 
I endure. Through the flames, I am remade.

My excitement outpours as an echo through the kiln, 
From fragile to firm, my creation is sanctified.
I help seal every crack, strengthening every line,
Until beauty and meaning fully align.

The Potter lifts me and His eyes delight in me,
Now I see there was a vision beyond what I knew.
I am a vessel, filled with belonging and beauty, 
Crafted by the hands that have known me all along.

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father;

we are the clay, and You our Potter;

we are all the work of Your hand.”

Isaiah 64:8