The Ruth Rally starts in a couple of days. I hope that you ladies are planning on coming and being a part of the weekend. It is sure to be a fun and blessed time!
The theme this year is ‘Made For This,’ going off of Psalm 139 that says “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” We were made by God. When he created Adam, He “formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…” I can’t help but think how this relates to pottery, how something is formed from the mud in the ground.
I’m sure that we’ve all seen, either in person or on TV, someone making pottery. Have you ever thought about it from the clay’s perspective? The clay is sitting there in it’s pile of mud. Then some guy pulls it out and smacks it down on a wheel and gets it spinning, all while pouring water on it and pushing up and down. Then the guy digs his fingers right into the middle and pulls it open, squeezing on it, cutting on it, shaping it into who knows what. After countless times of being squished and pushed and pulled, it’s cut off the wheel and set off to the side to dry out for days, becoming parched and longing for the pool of water it used to reside in. Now comes the really hard part…it is placed in the kiln. At first it’s just hot, but then it becomes burning. Eventually the heat becomes so intense that it the clay seems to have become the fire itself, glowing orange with heat, crying out for relief. For hours and hours the fires rage before slowly tapering off. The clay is no longer clay. It is now something much stronger, more durable. But just when the clay thinks the process is over, mud is poured all over it and it’s placed back in the fire a second time. This time the fire is even hotter. Eventually the heat subsides. The mud that was covering the pot has been transformed in the fire. It is not a glossy, colorful coat sealing and protecting the pot. The pot is taken out of the kiln, inspected by the potter, and placed on his table for all to see.
But here is what’s going on from a higher perspective. They clay is taken and adhered to the wheel. Then, as the wheel spins around, the potter dowses it with water to make it smooth so that the clay is not torn during this part of the process. He pushes on the clay to get it balanced on the wheel. Then the potter digs his fingers into the middle and pulls the clay outward and upward forming the walls of whatever the clay is to become. He has something beautiful and functional in mind. Over and over the potter squeezes on the sides, pulling and shaping them, feeling the thickness of the wall, paying attention for weak spots, air pockets, or debris in the clay. He is focused on knowing every part of the clay. Occasionally a few pieces of clay are cut away that are causing the form to be unbalanced. Once the potter is satisfied what has been made, he stamps his mark into the soft clay, slides a wire along the bottom cutting the clay off of the wheel, and the pot is set off to the side to dry. It may take a day or two or three for it to dry out, but it is important that the clay become bone dry because the potter knows that if there is still moisture in the clay, it can explode when it is put in the kiln. The potter then takes the dry pot, which is a fragile as a potato chip, and carefully sets it in the kiln. He watches closely as the temperature is raised, slowly at first, but eventually the temperature inside the kiln becomes hotter than most campfires. He watches through small holes in the kiln as the pots begin to glow orange. Once the right temperature has been reached, he shuts off the kiln and lets the pots cool. When he pulls the pots out of the kiln, they are no longer fragile pieces of dried mud. They have been transformed into ceramic…hard has rocks, and bright white or orange (depending on the type of clay). But he is still not finished. He takes the ceramic pots and dips them (or pours over them) in glaze, a runny, muddy substance. Then he puts the pot back into the kiln for another 24 period, letting the kiln get just as hot, or hotter, then before. At last, he opens the kiln and takes out his completed work. It is strong. He taps the side and it makes the sound of bell. And it is beautiful. The glaze has melted and bonded to the outside in a kaleidoscope of shiny colors. He can see his fingerprints along the sides where he formed it. He can see his mark showing proudly like a signature. This is a show piece that he is proud to have at his table.
The process from a blob of clay to a work of art is and uncomfortable process for the clay and an involved time for the potter. But in the end, it is worth it.
May you trust in the Lord as he continues to make a show piece out of you.