Last week, I painted a coaster for a friend. At first I didn’t know what to paint on it. I looked at some flowers that I know she loves and started to draw some inspiration from them. I started with one layer at a time and as I build on each layer, the flower started to take shape. Each layer adding a different element: a different colour and a different texture.

Today I’m reminded that we are like that painting: taking shape each day as the Lord refines us; shaping our character to become the person He created us to be.

In what area of your life can you see God working on your character?

The Lord is referred to as being the potter who made us. Just like painting the flower was a process of layering, so a potter goes through a process in order to produce an item.

In today’s post we will have a look at this process and how it applies to our lives.

Preparation

Before the clay can be used the potter washes the raw clay by mixing it with water and straining it to remove impurities. The clay is then knead and folded to remove air bubbles and create an even texture.

Just like a piece of clay needs to be prepared, so we also go through preparation phases before we can step into the good works that the Lord has prepared for us.

Isaiah 43:18 KJV "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old."

It is a journey of letting go of the old things and having faith that every trial you go through, God has your back. And as we submit to this preparation process, we are training to become steadfast in our faith in God, so that we can be used by him for His kingdom.

In what areas of your life do you need to let go of old ways of thinking or doing? Write them down in your journal.

Once the clay has been prepared, it is ready for use.

Shaping

Once we are prepared, we are shaped into the person God wants us to become. Our character is build until we reach our full potential. Yet, how we respond in this shaping process determines how fast or slow our progress is. We have to believe that God does not make mistakes. That He has chosen us with a specific purpose, and that He will not let us walk in it unprepared.

James 1:4 KJV "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Once the shaping of the item is complete, there is a trimming process that follows.

Trimming

For the potter trimming is to remove excess clay from the item, but it is also a time to add finer details. Depending on the clay, a resting or drying period is advised, before sending the clay to be baked.

If we embrace this period, we will bear fruit to the glory of God. We will be soaked in the Word, and find our rest in God.

John 15:1-2 KJV "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

Ask the Lord in what area of your life you need to trust him to prune you in order to bear more fruit to His glory.

Once the potter is satisfied with the item, the baking process starts.

Baking

Once the item is ready, it is baked at extreme heat. This changes the clay chemically into the hard ceramic.

The Holy Spirit is our refining fire. By letting Him do a purifying work within us, we can become truly strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Proverbs 17:3 KJV "The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: But the LORD trieth the hearts."

Although the baking process for the potter is not to refine, it is in this baking process that any flaws in the item will be revealed. For instance air or moisture trapped inside the clay, will create pressure and split the surface.

Ask the Lord to reveal any thing that is in your heart that is not off him like David did in Psalm 139:23 – 24

Glazing

Our process as children of God is that the good works that the Lord has begun in us will be complete once Jesus Christ returns. Until then, we have to continue to submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that we can do the things God wants us to do and become more and more like Jesus.

There is a final process that a potter has to do in order to seal the item: glaze baking. We have already been ransomed by the blood of Christ, and by the grace of God we have been saved. Our focus should be on continual growth in the Lord, letting go of the past and let God do a perfect work within us so that we will stand firm and endure until the end.

I hope that this message has strengthened you in your journey. We are all at different stages, sometimes it feels like we go back and forth, but every challenge faced and every past hurt or habit overcome, is a step forward in the Lord.

Blessings

Catherina

This process will not be the same for all types of clay and is merely used for illustrative purposes. Thank you!