THE POTTER’S PROCESS: HIS INGREDIENTS

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty – 1 Corinthians 1: 27

The Potters’ Process is to use His wheels to mold us into vessels of honour. We’ll meditate on the wheels in a little while; but the potter’s process actually begins prior to the wheels. It begins with His Ingredients and His Instruments. The potter’s primary ingredient and raw material is none other than common clay! To accomplish His great goal and commendable purpose, the potter works with a common and seemingly useless raw material – CLAY. Clay in the natural condition it is found in the ground is unsuitable for any worthwhile use. Alas, we are all made from this common raw material: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground…” (Gen.2:7a). Now, let’s follow the process…

First, the clay is dug out of the ground, brought to the vicinity of the pottery and allowed to weather for weeks. The dry material is then dumped into a cement-lined tank or wooden trough and covered with WATER, another commonly available ingredient. The softened lumps are stirred in the water until they all disintegrate and form a thin slimy mud – the ‘slip’. That is why potteries are often sited near the sea, as the sea-water is considered better for the “slipping” process. The slip is then drawn off into settling tanks, leaving all the stones and lumps behind. Notice the intricate and painstaking process.

On settling, the water is drawn off and the plastic-like material treaded with the feet, certainly a not very pleasant task for the potter or comfortable ‘feeling’ for the clay!  The prepared clay is packed away and allowed to stand another six months, during which time the quality or plasticity of the clay is believed to improve. All of these go to show how the process of transforming worthless clay into a useable state takes extensive time and effort. We are naturally worthless to God; but He sees what we can become, digs us out, washes us clean, dries us up, shapes, and molds us. The eternal Potter, the God of all Grace specializes in transforming the common into the commendable, and He is not in a hurry to get the job done.