A Visit to the Potter's House

A favorite mug made and purchased at Alwine's Pottery
in Pigeon Forge, TN

I love to visit a pottery and watch a skilled potter at work. It's absolutely amazing to watch as he/she transforms a shapeless, colorless, ugly lump of clay into a beautiful creation of his/her choice. And even more amazing is the adeptness of the potter to "start over" when he sees a flaw in the piece or when it doesn't match the finished product he has in mind. Throwing that piece of clay away is apparently not an option; he just calmly begins again with the same clay. After watching a potter at his wheel, the words of Jeremiah come alive!

I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: O house of Israel (put your name here), can I not do with you as this potter does? (Jeremiah 18:3-6)

What a beautiful, hope-filled word picture of our relationship with The Potter! It's one of my favorite passages, which may explain why I love the song by the Perrys below.

"But the Potter knows the clay – how much pressure it can take,
how many times around the wheel ‘til there’s submission to His will.
He’s planned a beautiful design, but it’ll take some fire and time.
It’s gonna’ be okay - ‘cause the Potter knows the clay."

(If you turn your volume up, you can hear the song! It may take a moment for Playlist - in the lower right side - to load.)