The Lord said to me, 2 “Go down to the potter's house, where I will give you my message.” 3 So I went there and saw the potter working at his wheel. 4 Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect, he would take the clay and make it into something else. Jeremiah 18:1-4 (GNT)
Picture it. God is bending over the table and on it is you and me, going about our lives. As he scrupulously peers into our hearts and minds, he sees flaws. There is a lot of brokenness. We work to much for things that don't last. We yell at each other at home and smile at strangers. We buy things we can't afford so we look better on the outside. We spend a lot of time "taking care of me" and not others. We focus more on ourselves and less on God. Gosh, this list could go on and on. As God looks deep, he can see what we are doing and he even knows why. He knows what lies cause us to believe we will find wholeness in these things.
You might be tempted to think he looks and says "WOW! That is so messed up. There isn't anything I can do with that!" That thought doesn't even cross his mind. Much like the potter, he takes hold and he molds and he changes us so that we can become what he created us to be. He smooths the rough edges with his love. He fills in the cracks with his grace. He keeps strengthening us with his Word and he produces a shine that emanates from the inside out by walking with us through trials.
When he is finished with us, when we are complete, we will be more valuable than gold. We will be a masterpiece. He's always seen us that way, you know. We have always been priceless in his eyes.
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)