THE TEACUP

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautifulstores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups.This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. Theysaid, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.

"You don'tunderstand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.There was a time when I was red and I was clay." My master took me androlled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone",but he only smiled, "Not yet."

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "andsuddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'mgetting dizzy!" I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Notyet."

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why hewanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could seehim through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook hishead, "Not yet."

Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool."There, that's better," I said. And he brushed and painted me allover. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Stop it, stopit!" I cried. He only nodded, "Not yet."

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one.This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. Ipleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through theopening nodding his head saying, "Not yet."

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was readyto give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me onthe shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look atyourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me; that couldn't be me. It'sbeautiful. I'm beautiful."

"I want you to remember, then," he said, "I know it hurts to be rolledand patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up.I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I hadstopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot anddisagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you wouldhave cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, butif I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would nothave had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in thatsecond oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardnesswould not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what Ihad in mind when I first began with you."

MORAL:

God knows what He's doing (for all of us).
He is the Potter, and we are His clay.
He will mold us and make us,
So that we may be made into a flawless piece of work
To fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Author Unknown --- Sent in by Gary Lee --- Maryland