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Crafted by a Master’s Hand September 3, 2007 By Theresa Huff
Have you ever stopped and spent time watching the actual process of glassblowing? It is an awesome procedure and must be done by a master craftsman—one who is talented, patient, skilled, and willing to wait for that perfect shape to come out of the fire.
Glassblowing is defined as the process of forming glass into useful shapes while the glass is in a molten, semi-liquid state. Traditionally, glass was made from raw materials, such as sand, limestone, and other compounds, and then melted in the furnace. Glassblowing may involve several trips to the furnace and various special tools. It takes much practice and work to come out with the beautiful, marketable pieces that we admire and buy today.
Jesus, the master craftsman, picks us up as raw material, with nothing much to be proud of. He takes us and begins to apply the heat that is needed to make us the best and most beautiful that we can be. Do we always like it when the heat is applied? That would be a great, big resounding “No!”, but to burn out all the impurities we must submit and become pliable. Oh, to be molded by His hands and come out that perfect specimen that He desires and can use!
Glass is fragile, and so are we at different times during our Christian walk, in each different season of our lives. As did the psalmist, we may have to pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10). Then Jesus throws us right back in the fire to remold, to remake, and to reshape. Sometimes we put up a fight, and sometimes we are willing to be remade, but, when He says it is time to come out of the fire, we are formed into His shape and we see through His eyes—we finally understand. We are His special children and He loves us whatever place we are in. ninetyandnine.com © 2007, Theresa Huff
--------- Theresa Huff is a pediatric nurse and lives in Bryan, Texas, with her family.
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