I have been meditating on this visualization for a long time. 

A few summers ago I was talking to a potter about pottery and how it's made.  I enjoy these art conversations. Art forms overlap. While they can be so different, elements can also be taken from each practice to inspire. The vision and the processes create curiosity.

 We didn't talk about faith but the conversation blessed me. The message had two messages. One was natural and another meant something spiritual to me. 

We discussed the appearance of the art piece and what would happen if something went wrong in creating it. For instance, the wrong glaze was used. If the potter doesn't like it, the art can be completely reused. 

Other art forms can not do this. A musical instrument, can not be treated the same way. Clothing can not be utterly destroyed and recovered. I can not draw on a piece of paper, tear it up and recreate it to its original form or improve it. 

 A clay pot, plate, or cup can be utterly destroyed and thrown in a pile to be used again for a new piece. The thing is; everything is intact with clay material. Nothing is depleted, it doesn't loose quality, just as it is.

In the bible, clay is a symbol of a human. The clay is formed by the potter. We are formed to bring glory to God.

We can see ourselves this way. Whatever happens in our lives. Nothing is "utterly destroyed". We have the ingredients intact, complete. We can be renewed. We are not depleted.

Clay powder doesn't become pottery on its own. It needs help from the potter to form it. We are not formed on our own. 

Isaiah 64:8 NIV
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.