Then the Lord's word came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? Says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. – Jer 18"5&6
 
Friends,
God is good all the time
 
There is this story about a young boy who observed a sculptor produce a beautiful image of a Greek god from a granite rock. After it was all complete and displayed, the boy asked the sculptor, " Sir, how did you know that that guy was in there?" To which the sculptor replied, "Son, that guy was in there all the time." Artistic productions of sculptors, artists, painters, and potters can really stimulate our imaginations and increase our appreciation of our individual uniqueness as God's handiworks. 
 
In the passage from Jeremiah's book, the analogy of the potter and the clay is utilized to convey two valuable lessons. Jeremiah was directed by the word of God to visit a potter and observe his work. Jeremiah’s observation of the production process caused him to receive another word the Lord, “Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? Says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand” (Jer 18:5-6). Two lessons emerge in the comments: 
 
First, as the potter controls the piece of clay that he uses for his production, so does God have power and authority over the people He has created in His image and likeness. All lives were created by God, and they belong to Him no matter what people feel about their experiences. There are people who deny the truth of God's creative power and live as if God has nothing to do with lives and existence, but it does not change anything at all in God's association with them as the creator.
 
The second is that God can decide to do with us as He chooses. Understandably, God wants to be loving, kind, caring, and patient with us. In every work of arts, only the producer has the mental image of what the ultimate output should be like, and he keeps working at it until there is congruence between the mental image and the production. In the same way, God keeps shaping us; when we sin, He gives us the chance to repent; when we make mistakes, He helps us correct our errors; when we do well, He strengthens us to do more.  
 
In the potter's image and the clay, God is demonstrating one thing, reminding us to maintain our relationship with God. God wants us to realize that we need Him; we cannot live independently of Him. Similarly, God needs us to do what He does best, showing love, kindness, and mercy to us. We are never abandoned by God. He loves us; we are constantly in His creative and awesome hands to turn us for better. So, let us permit Him to keep designing our lives and purpose to live.
 
Prayer blessings: Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. May the Lord keep our hearts and minds in the right place for the right things. Amen.