The Patience of a Potter

The symbolism of the potter and the clay have been on my mind since last weeks CFM lesson where Isaiah first mentions this metaphor (Isaiah 64:8). I loved that in this weeks reading of Jeremiah, the Lord used the same metaphor to help teach Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:3-6). To help me better understand all the symbolism this metaphor has to offer, I read a talk given by Camille Fronk at BYU entitled "Lessons from the Potter and the Clay" To prepare for her talk, she visited a BYU ceramics professor to learn about the processes that takes place in order to make a clay pot. I wanted to share some of the lessons she learned that helped me better understand the symbolism imbedded in this metaphor.

• Clay is "a lowly substance capable of being formed into vessels of glory. It reminds us of our own nothingness without the skills, the vision, and the sacrifice of the Master Potter."
• "the potter must add water—another seemingly simple element, but one that has vital properties. Water brings the clay to life. The symbolic water we receive from the Savior is as critical to our existence as physical water is to the clay."
• "the potter dries out the clay while kneading it and eliminating air pockets...These “kneadings” of the potter can be paralleled to disappointments and at times severe challenges we experience individually or as a people. They are not intended to destroy but have a refining capacity to bring increased perspective and wisdom."
• "During the kneading process, the potter will become aware of stones and other foreign objects mixed in with the clay. They will need to be identified and removed by running a wire through the clay as the final preparation to shaping...It is through the process of repentance, confessing and forsaking our sins, that we do our part to become pure and receptive in the hands of the Potter."
• "It is critical that the clay be totally centered [on the wheel] or it can never respond to the directives of the potter and therefore never be formed into a vessel of honor. When the clay does not deviate to the left nor to the right, the potter knows it is centered...Once we are centered [on Christ], right to our very core, we have no need to fear."
• "a potter...does not concentrate on the outward appearance of the vessel. He knows that the outside will take care of itself when the inner space is formed. In other words, the form of the inner chamber determines the appearance of the exterior."
• "Of all sculpting materials, clay responds the easiest to touch and retains the most minute detail, even a thumbprint. Each detail can be changed innumerable times until the potter is satisfied and declares the vessel complete."
• "Not all clay vessels go into their desired shape the first time. Some become marred while they are on the potter’s wheel...While there are no guarantees that once on the wheel you will never go wrong, all is not lost for those who contend against the Potter... It is given another chance to be obedient and pliable in the hands of the potter."

Now, that I understood the symbolism of the metaphor a little bit better, it was easier to see how it applied to me-not only as clay, but also in my role as a potter. In Elder Schmitt's talk "That They Might Know Thee" given in General Conference two weeks ago, he challenged us to learn the different names of Christ.  Each week when we take the sacrament we commit to take upon us the name of Christ. What if each week we thought of a different name of Christ and the attributes associated with that name? If one of Christ's name is "potter", then what are some attributes we can learn about Him because of that name? Sister Fronk describes a potter like this...

• "A good potter always gives the clay respect by not moving it faster than it is capable of enduring and will never force it into a shape."
• "With a combination of pinching and pulling movements, adding the living water constantly to keep it flexible and alive, the potter leads the vessel to its proper form."
• "He can feel unique tendencies within the clay that, when followed, lead him to create a different vessel every time."

Patience and consistency. These are two words that will now come to my mind when I think of the Lord as a potter. As I am given "potter-like" responsibilities, when I am asked to help mold and shape some "wedges of clay", I hope I can reflect on this lesson: to be more like Christ I need to be more patient and consistent with the clay I've been given to work with.  Remembering that my job is not to force it into a certain shape but to lead it towards its proper form.