Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful, in its time…”

God is the Master of all things. Master Artist, Master builder.. He takes things and shapes them into something beautiful, a Masterpiece.. I’ve never personally participated in any Ceramics classes, but to watch a mound of clay be fashioned into something else is fascinating. Only the potter knows what his or her intent is for the clay. They know what the end result will be, and thus know what tools to use to finesse the desired outcome. It’s truly an art form of extreme patience..an attribute of God. He takes His time, and is not in any rush. Good things take time. Wait… I need to marinate on that. Good things take time…

Nothing done hastily will last or it must be redone again…and again.. It’s something about marinating that produces a richer outcome. Reading up on the art of pottery making, I Iearned it can take years to get down the proper techniques. The process of waiting or having patience yields much fruit.

..Abide..

I am reminded of the parable of the sower and the seed that fell on shallow ground. It shrivled up at the first instance of the beaming rays of sun. It’s roots weren’t deep and it caved in under pressure. As the saying goes, pressure can either make diamonds or burst pipes, and as scripture points to, ‘the Refiners fire’ removes impurities. God loves us so much that He will never leave us how we were. In this journey with Him, we are continually being stretched, pulled and shaped into who He has always purposed us to be, and that’s to be more like Him and completely dead to our old self.

As I was reflecting today, adversity or opposition allows God to chisel away at imperfections. Chisel away at the old nature that tries to resurrect itself. It’s only when I find myself in adverse situations do I see what lies beneath the surface. I heard it once said that “people are like sandpaper, that God uses to shape us.” Adversity reveals insecurities, conflict and challenges reveal areas in ourselves that need God’s gentle tool of ‘adjustment.’ God’s mirror, His Word, is the plumb line. His Word is absolute Truth that shines a light to our brokeness, and His Word is also our healing balm. This season of my life, there was a lot of breaking down that my Father needed to do. Breaking down of habits, breaking down of old thought processes and mechanisms. He had to break down, to build back up. Being uncomfortable became my norm, and in a way I found myself ‘running’ to challenges and difficulties instead of retreating away (my go to reflex).

Truth is, we are all broken pieces of clay on God’s Potter wheel. We are all Masterpieces in the making. All blossoming and becoming something beautiful 💜