The Potter's Wheel

Recently while visiting the Great Passion Play we enjoyed seeing the Potter’s Wheel.  The potter used the clay and wheel to teach spiritual growth.  He showed how God worked to remove imperfections from his children just as the potter did with the clay.  He emphasized that God did not destroy the sinner nor did the potter destroy the clay when an imperfection appears.  The potter destroys the vessel and reshapes the clay to bring out the beauty of the clay and form a more perfect vessel.  The clay yields itself to the potter’s hand.   At times, God brings events into the lives of his children forcing them to depend on Him just as the clay relied on the potter.  By yielding to the God’s will, the sinner becomes a more perfect vessel able to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe we need to try the same method when we are dealing with others.  When trying to help them with with an imperfection, we need to be careful that we do not destroy the person.  We need to be sure we are attacking the problem, not the person.