The Master Potter

A couple went into an antique shop and saw a beautiful, magnificant teacup sitting high on a shelf, and they just fell in love with it. They said, "We have got to have that teacup." They began to admire the teacup, and all of the sudden, it began to talk to them. It said, "You know, I've not always been like this. There was a time when nobody would have wanted me. There was a time when I was not attractive at all. There was a time in my life when I was just an old, hard, gray lump of clay. The master potter came and picked me up one day, and began to pat me, and shape me, and I said, "Leave me alone! What are you doing? That hurts! Just leave me alone!" And he simply looked at me and said, "Not yet."

And then he put me on this wheel, and began to spin me around, and around, and around, and I just got so dizzy that I couldn't even see where I was going anymore. I just felt like I was losing it. Everything was spinning, and I felt sick to my stomach, and I said, "Let me off of here!" And he just said, "Not yet."

Finally, the day had come where I took another shape. All that patting, and molding, and pinching gave me another shape. And I thought, "Ah, finally!" But then, he put me in this furnace. It was called the 'First Firing.' And it was so hot in there. I couldn't believe how hot it was, and I thought, "I can't stand this. I'm going to die. Just get me out of here! Don't you love me? Why are you leaving me here?" The oven door had a little glass piece in it, and the master would look through the glass, and just smile. He had a certain look in his eyes, but he would not let me out! He was watching over me. He never took his eyes off of me, but just wouldn't let me out. He would just smile at me and say, "Not yet."

Finally, the oven door opened, and he took me out, and sat me on a shelf. And I thought, "Man, thank God that is over!" But then he began to paint me all over with this stinky paint, changing my color from gray to this pretty blue that I am now. And I said, "This stuff stinks. It's choking me. I do not like this smell. Just stop it!" And he would just look at me with that look, and say, "Not yet."

Then he put me back in the oven a second time, and it was twice as hot as the first time. I sure didn't expect to be in there again. I thought, "I know for sure that I am going to die in here! This is the end of me! This will finish me off! Get me out of here, God, I can't stand it!" But he would just look through the glass, and say, "Not yet."

Then once the door finally opened, and he took me out, and sat me on a shelf and let me cool off. And after I cooled off, he came by and let me look in a mirror. I looked at myself and I just could not believe how beautiful I was. I could not believe how I had changed. Why I didn't look anything like that old, gray, lump of clay that I started out being so long ago. Back then, nobody wanted me, nobody liked me, nobody paid any attention to me. They just kicked me around and walked all over me like I was a piece of trash. But now, I'm special! But I wasn't always this way.



You may be in any of those stages, but God will NEVER take His eyes off of you. Let Him make you into the person He wants you to be... Even if it means going through the fire. You will never be the same.