so i can't believe it's been so long since i last posted, and it's been much longer than it should have been to get this one done, but here it comes. this is a new look at a common topic.
several weeks ago at church we had a visitor come preach, and i can't really remember that much about him, other than his name was rick lairisey though i'm sure i spelled that wrong. but as he was talking he said the term "vessels" and being somewhat mind wandering at that time, my mind wandered to the band "jars of clay" and immediately my mind went to the stories in the Bible about jeremiah and the broken pot and the referance in isaiah to people as clay and God as the potter. and then it hit me. how many people really know what it means to be clay? to be turned into beautiful pottery? and i saw an oppurtunity. during this time i was teaching the ceramics class where i work, and i realized i had a first hand chance to view and experience the process, the successes, failures, and outcomes of watching the clay being worked, and a new way of thinking of what or who i really am.
to begin with, the potter must choose the clay. one may think, "well, clay is clay, is there really a difference?" and yes there is. clays have different compositions, colors, textures, plasticities, firing temperatures and more. a master potter will know what clay will work best for the project they intend to make, and good potters will be familiar with a clay they like to use. the potter then kneads the clay before the sculpting. the clay needs to be removed of the "deadly" air bubbles that expand and explode when being fired, and kneading does that as well as align the clay particles for easier molding and use.
i guess this part, would i be the clay, is when i decided to let God take hold of my life to mold me. He would begin by working out the most detrimental problems before the forming of a masterpiece.
at this point, the potter would start the sculpting. i think most people associate pottery with the "wheel technique" and though there are several other techniques, the wheel is definately my favorite, and i think requires the most skill. the other techniques definately require skill, but you can almost always add more clay, and you can work slowly if you need to, make simple and careful changes to your artwork. however, with the wheel, once you start you can only take away clay, and any change by the clay or the potter instantly affects the whole piece. but the master (Master) potter knows this, and with expert skills first centers the clay on the wheel (which is no easy task for beginners and even some intermediate potters) and then begins the shaping. the potter doesn't need to take measurements for he/she/He knows where the limits are. they can be felt, knowing the limitations of the clay, and the potter knows how for to work the clay.
watching a master potter on the wheel can be mesmerizing. simply seeing the chunk of clay being moved, pushed, pressed, and molded first into a generic cup-look, into a bowl or pitcher, sometimes a plate or cup, but whatever it is, the potters hands know just what to do, slowing working the clay upwards to make the piece larger, adding just the right amount of water to prevent cracking or sliming. removing the extra clay so it doesn't tip over. anyone who has done any amount of pottery knows that feeling of the clay sliding past your hands and fingers, pushing just enough to reach that perfect thickness and build the piece out, up, and beautifully. depending on the piece and the potter, this could take a couple minutes to perhaps more than an hour.
i guess with the Potter, this takes the clay's life. or most of it. the clay is being molded as the Potter takes control to shape out the plan He has for it/us/me. this molding time changes us from the lump of clay, full of "deadly" air bubbles into something different, something that can be used and that looks good. sometimes we as clay try to fight back and develop a thin spot or a crack that causes the Potter to have to trim more than He wanted or to start over, but that doesn't mean He gives up. The clay needs to be reset and can be used again, but takes time and patience.
once the potter is done turning, they remove the piece from the wheel, a moment when if not careful, the whole piece could topple and break. then begins the drying, actually, the controled drying. a piece is too soft to add any designs or trim excess clay. but after some drying the work becomes stiff, though still soft enough to cut and trim out thick spots (which dry inefficently, add needless weight, could hide "deadly" air bubbles, have the potential of exploding in the kiln, and just look clumsy.) this could be a time to add handles to mugs or pitchers, or etch in patterns and designs. and any good potter will put their name, initials, or symbal on the work, to show that they made it. when that part is done, the potter sets the project in a safe place to dry for at least a week. at this stage, the piece is called greenware.
i think this is where God takes away the things in our lives that are holding us back from completing his work. those thick spots might signify that we have too much of something, like to much comfort in a spot, and the lack of handles may be our missing of something we need to keep going, and He blesses us with that necessary part that adds to us. we are still by no means done. this is just a completion of shape, not of project. and for all of you who think you are in these stages and it is hard, just wait, what comes next is the worst, and i think scariest of steps.
a kiln is basically a oven, but often larger, funnier shaped, and can reach almost obscene temperatures. "low fire" clays and glazes, which means it gets fired at low temperatures, will need to hit at least 1400 degrees farenheit to change. after the drying period of the greenware, the potter will put their work in the kiln, arranging it to fit as much in as possible, moving the more "dangerous" pieces away from the ones they are not worried about. then slowly, over the span of hours to days, heat it up to that range of 1400 plus. "hi fire" pieces will reach temperatures of over 2000 degrees. but something magical happens. any leftover moisture in the work evaporates and the chemical composition changes. the soft clay becomes harder, stiffer, and eventually will hold liquids rather than being permeable. i once opened our kiln just after it shut off to see what it looked like inside. everything was glowing. the sides of the kiln, the shelves, the pieces, it all glowed that hot ember look. it was being cooked. it was being changed. it would still be a bowl, or a cup, or a plate in outward appearance. but internally, it would be strong, like a stone, and the works are actually called stoneware. this is the scary time, because after this there is no turning back, and sometimes things explode. there might be a missed air bubble, or a thick spot, or just too much moisture in a spot. when something explodes in this state it can easily damage or destroy the works next to it.
i guess this section has a lot to be taken out of it, but i'll keep it short and not overly preachy. here is where God tests us "in the fire." "refined by the fire" is a common phrase used to describe the trials and tribulations that we go through to become stronger more mature Christians. these are not fun trials. i'm sure the clay doesn't understand why it needs to go through scortching temperatures, but the potter does. if it doesn't, it can be strong, it will be soft and easily broken, fragile, and can be watered down and turn to mush. but once fired, the works come out stronger than when they started. the same with us. i would say that the ones that explode are the ones that give up when the test starts. they break, and all that's left for them is the trash. it's sad when it's just a bowl or cup, but i can't imagine the pain God endures when one of His works "blows up."
then comes anticipation. the glazing. the glazes are a chalky liquid that occasionally resemble what they might look like when they come out of the kiln. but that is part of the anticipation. the potter puts on the glaze, sometimes mixing them, or sprinkling on other colors for different affects. even some of the glazes have "personalities," some stay where they are applied, others slide and move, and get different colors. the glazed stoneware goes back into the kiln where several factors will contribute to the outcome. the heat in the kiln, the arrangement of the different colors on the works, and the amount of carbon in the kiln are some of the things that will determine the color and texture of the glazes on the works. at this point, a potter can take all the precautions they want to get the color and effect they want, but even part of it is left to chance. but the kiln gets heated up again, another blast of firey fury, but the end result is more spectacular than before. the first time the works were made strong, but now they are made beautiful, and ready for use. the glazes have shown their personality and are unique, not easily replicated.
i don't think God would leave our beautifying entirely to chance, at least not knowing the potential outcome. i do believe God leaves us room to try things, make mistakes, and make masterpieces. it's called free will. but i also believe this Potter is trying to give us the best odds of reaching the potential He has set for us. He tests and prepares us through molding and fires to shape us and make us strong vessels for work. He then adds gifts to us, the interesting assortment of colors and textures, that give us our unique abilities and personalities to be the best we can be. we are then ready for use.
now i know that pottery can still fall and break, it can chip and crack, and we as humans and Christians can make mistakes, get comfortable, chip, crack, and break. a broken plate however usually only has one fate after that, and that would be the trash, it cannot be fixed and regain it's usefulness. we however can be fixed and used again. and as for this piece of clay, i'm glad for that. i'm sure that the fires are going to hurt and be hard, and in this life there will be several. but when i finally reach that point where, as a beautifully glazed piece, has been retired (maybe that is when one breaks? has reached the completion of God's work on this earth?) and go to heavy, i will be able to look to God, and see the reflection of His love for me and i'll be able to see the masterpiece, and the master plan that God had made me for.
