During my sophomore year of high school, my ceramics teacher announced that we would be taking on a new project: throwing on the wheel. It was mid-November at the time, and we would have two months (minus the time we had off for winter holidays) to create a bowl and a vase. I thought, “Throwing looks complicated. How is that going to be enough time?” I started practicing different throwing techniques and spending a lot of time working with the clay.

Soon I began to see the connection between throwing on the wheel and our spiritual lives. Isaiah wrote, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

Preparation for the Journey

Every piece of pottery starts out as a chunk of clay, and each of us is like that clay that goes on a journey to become a masterpiece. Clay goes through a lot of pounding, kneading and wedging, not to destroy it, but rather to prepare it for the throwing process. In this life, we go through testing, not to tear us down, but rather to be prepared to face the times ahead, and eventually be in God’s Kingdom.

We are like clay—we have the potential to be soft and moldable, but without patience we are usually stiff and stubborn. When we don’t receive an answer to prayer, when we feel like God has left us, we might become hardened, and it’s difficult to stay faithful. Even though God wants to mold and shape us, human nature makes us hard to work with. We all need God, just like clay needs water. King David was inspired to write, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” (Psalms 42:2). When clay is being stored under a damp paper towel, it absorbs the moisture, and later, needs more water. As Christians, we thirst for more understanding of God’s laws and His purpose for us.

The Journey Begins

Have you ever wondered why it’s called throwing on the wheel? The clay is literally thrown onto the wheel so it will stick to the wheel while the potter is working. The potter does a lot of pushing and pulling to get the clay into a cone shape, but clay isn’t the easiest thing to work with.

Clay on the throwing wheel can become off-center, so the potter must slowly guide it back to the center of the wheel. This is like what God does to us when we wander astray or “. . . fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Despite our faults, God is always willing to guide us when we become lost. He is constantly working with us to create a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13).

I imagine everyone has most likely asked the question, “Why do we have to go through trials?” It’s hard times and tribulations that teach us to have faith and patience, and those times remind us that God is always in control. Knowing this helps us do what we have been called to do, just as the process of centering the clay makes it easier for the potter to create a piece of pottery.

Growth and Guidance

Once clay is centered on the wheel, the potter presses down in the center to start forming the vessel. The potter applies the right amount of pressure to shape the clay. The potter knows the clay can get dry, so he or she adds more water. The potter also knows it needs care as it gets thinner, so he or she works with it gently. As Paul wrote, “And my God will fully supply your every need . . .” (Philippians 4:19, International Standard Version). God truly does know our every need and is willing to give those things to us. Whenever we need healing or encouragement, He provides it.

While my classmates and I were talking about the throwing project, one girl asked another, “What if we each made a coil pot (the kind in which you roll the clay into a long, thin rope, and then coil it up into a pot shape) and said we threw it?” Hearing this made me think of how sometimes we want to take the easy way out of certain things, like trials. Remaining faithful can be hard, but God is continuously working to strengthen our faith in Him, like a potter works to shape the clay. We must always remember that even though life can change and things can get harder, one thing that will never change is knowing that nothing physical in this life can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:39).

Testing of Faith

After the piece of pottery has been cut off from the wheel and the edge has been trimmed, it gets put in the kiln to be fired. Not only does this finalize the piece, it also tests it. If it’s too thick or too thin, it will crack, break or even explode. The kiln is like our spiritual furnace—trials of life that test our faith and help us mature. It may be difficult to keep going and trust God, but we must remember there is something greater waiting for us ahead. If we endure and stay faithful, God will call each of us a “good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, (Daniel 3:16-25), we will be rewarded for following God.

Sometimes when clay comes out of the kiln, the ceramic piece will have a deep crack in it. This is where slip, a substance made from watered down clay, comes in handy. The potter can fill in the crack with slip, and it goes back in the kiln for refiring. We are like the pottery pieces: we may show signs of weakness, but we can always repent from our sins.  When we truly repent—not just say we’re sorry, but commit to changing—God will forgive us, “. . . for His mercies are great . . .” (2 Samuel 24:14). Because of His grace, we can come back to Him, no matter what wrong we did or how much we don’t think we deserve forgiveness.

Learning Patience

Before a piece of pottery can be finished, it has to go through many waiting periods. These include: before firing, during cooling and after it has been painted or glazed. We learn patience whenever we are awaiting an answer to prayer or enduring trials. We can look toward the Kingdom when we’ll no longer be imperfect human beings, but members of God’s family . . . “we shall all be changed”
(1 Corinthians 15:51).

Eventually, I did manage to create a bowl and vase, so I made the deadline! Although learning to throw on the wheel was quite the challenge, all that hard work was worth it. I learned a new technique of constructing clay, and I discovered spiritual aspects of it. I hope we all can learn about God, not only from studying His Word, but from personal experiences too. Until the Kingdom comes, let us all persevere, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

by Andreya Halvorsen