One of the most therapeutic things I can do is throw clay on a wheel (throwing is the term used for the process of forming a piece of pottery on a pottery wheel).  I love it!  Even if the result is a collapsed lump of clay, the process is so relaxing!  I've started renting space at a pottery studio in Port Richmond, Philly just to decompress every few days.  Even if I'm the only person in the studio, I'm continually reminded that I'm not alone.  God has been revealing a ton to me through the process of throwing. 

To share with you what some of those things are, please bear with my through a short pottery tutorial. The most crucial part of throwing on a wheel is centering the ball of clay.  If the clay is not truly centered, the finshed piece will be distorted and uneven.  It seems pretty simple, but there can even be the slightest wobble in the clay before going forward in the formation.  It takes patience, strength and an unwaivering hand.  Water is constantly poured over the clay to avoid over-drying.  Through this process of raising leveling the clay, the artist really becomes one with the clay: every movement is in sync.  Once this is done, the potter can open the centered clay and start to form the walls of the vessel.  After the walls are formed, before going any further in the formation, recentering must take place.  This step requires even more patience, skill and gentleness at the hands of the potter.  Only when the piece is completely recentered can the potter go forward in his vision for the vessel. 

The other day, I was on the wheel and I simply could not get a piece of clay centered.  When I finally got it centered, opened up the center of the clay, and began forming the walls it got way off center again.  I then began to recenter, but the stubborn clay would just not cooperate.  In my frustration, I heard God say: