Jars of clay

They are just clay pots, but like us, each one is different. Some are larger than others. Some are tall and others are not. Some have small mouths and others are more pronounced. Some have a spout to make it easier to pour out their contents. Some have handles to hold while others need to be hugged. Some are cool, and some are warm. It's hard to see inside some of the pots, especially the ones hidden in the back, but they all have scars and markings covered by a glaze. Some we see, and some we don't, but the potter knows them all.

We took a journey to a potter's house one day to photograph him at work. He talked about his pots as if they were his family. He would pick one up and look at it, then he would talk about it. As he spoke, I photographed. Tall, short, round, scarred, warm or cool, he could describe each one. We saw form and function, but he knew their character.

So often we are quick to make judgments and form opinions about people just by looking at them without taking the time to know their character, but like these jars of clay, each one of us is a treasure in the eyes of the master potter.